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Ocular toxoplasmosis: clinical characteristics in pediatric patients

Manuel Garza-Leon1, Lourdes Arellanes Garcia

  • 1Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera en Mexico, Inflammatory eye disease clinic, Coyoacan, Mexico, Mexico. dr.manuel.garza@gmail.com

Ocular Immunology and Inflammation
|March 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Ocular toxoplasmosis in children often presents with inactive retinal scars. When active inflammation occurs, it can be severe and lead to complications like vasculitis.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Ocular toxoplasmosis is a significant cause of infectious posterior uveitis.
  • Understanding its clinical presentation in pediatric populations is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To delineate the clinical characteristics of ocular toxoplasmosis specifically in pediatric patients.
  • To identify common symptoms, ocular manifestations, and stages of the disease in children.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective, non-comparative case series design was employed.
  • Clinical records of pediatric patients (≤16 years) diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis were reviewed.

Main Results:

  • Forty pediatric patients (56 eyes) were analyzed, with a mean age of 9.5 years.
  • Unilateral involvement was observed in 60% of cases. Common symptoms included strabismus (32.1%) and reduced visual acuity (23.2%).
  • Inactive retinal scars were prevalent (71.4%). Active inflammation, when present, manifested as panuveitis (14.2%), posterior uveitis (12.5%), or neuroretinitis, often affecting the posterior pole (72.7%).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric ocular toxoplasmosis is frequently diagnosed in its inactive, scar stage.
  • Active inflammatory episodes can be severe, often accompanied by complications such as vasculitis and papillitis.
Abstract

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