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Control of cytomegalovirus retinitis after combination antiretroviral therapy
I Ruhswurm1, E Ries, K Krepler
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Medical School, Austria.
Purpose:
To report on AIDS patients having combination antiretroviral therapy whose cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis remained inactive after discontinuation of anti-CMV maintenance therapy.
Methods:
We describe the course of CMV-retinitis in 3 patients with AIDS after initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy.
Results:
After cessation of anti-CMV therapy no relapse of CMV-retinitis has been observed for up to 18 months. Two of the patients developed new CMV-retinitis in the first months after initiation of combination therapy, nevertheless after further improvement of immunological parameters retinitis remained stable without anti-CMV therapy.
Conclusion:
The sustained immunological effects of combination therapy are possibly sufficient enough to provide protection against CMV-retinitis.