[Epidemiology and clinical pattern of ocular toxoplasmosis in Kinshasa]

To determine the epidemiology and clinical pattern of Congolese patients with ocular toxoplasmosis.

A retrospective study was conducted on records of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis examined in the Teaching Hospital of Kinshasa (DR Congo) from 2010 to 2012. Each patient underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. Sociodemographic data, clinical symptoms and signs, visual outcome, modality of treatment and type of complications were studied.

Thirty-five cases of ocular toxoplasmosis were diagnosed out of 18,144 patients, giving a frequency of 0.2 %. Eighteen men (51.4 %) were affected, with a sex ratio of 1.05. The mean age of the patients was 40.9±20 years (range: 10-72 years). The mean time until consultation was 10 months (range: 2 days-84 months). Ocular involvement was unilateral for 65.7 % of patients. Decreased visual acuity (77.1 %) and pain (7.1 %) were the main ocular complains. Chorioretinal lesions involved the central retina in 26 patients (74.3 %). Five patients (14.2 %) developed recurrences during follow-up. Complications affected 17 patients (48.6 %), with macular scarring (34.3 %) and cataract (17.1 %) being the most common. At the first consultation, 61.7 % of the affected eyes had visual impairment (VA<0.3). Visual impairment was associated with macular lesions (P<0.001, OR=3 [1.4-6.1]) and age greater than 45 years (P=0.002, OR=11 [2.2-53.6]).

In our context, complications are common with ocular toxoplasmosis,s and they lead to visual impairment in the majority of patients.