High Blood Cytomegalovirus Load Suggests Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in HIV/AIDS Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To clarify the cut off value of blood CMV load to indicate CMV retinitis and its relationships with ocular features.
Methods: Patients were divided into non-CMV and CMV retinitis groups. A logistic regression model was applied to estimate the association of each variable with CMV retinitis. Spearman correlation was used to estimate the correlation between the blood and aqueous CMV load.
Results: Blood CMV load higher than 4log ₁₀ (OR, 6.897; CI: 2.813-16.910; P < .001) was the major predictor of CMV retinitis. Blood CMV load wasn't different between the initial and early stage ( P = .066). No correlation was observed between the blood and aqueous CMV load ( P = .083, r = 0.228).
Conclusions: Blood CMV load higher than 4log ₁₀ is an important predictor for CMV retinitis in HIV/AIDS patients, but it couldn't indicate the ocular features. Ophthalmologic screening is still necessary. Abbreviations : CMV: Cytomegalovirus; CMVR: Cytomegalovirus retinitis; HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus; AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; ART: Antiretroviral therapy; EOD: End-organ diseases; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; OR: Odds Ratio; CI: 95% Confidence Interval; IQR: Interquartile range.