Clinical pattern of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in a Spanish referral center

Abstract

Background/aims: To analyze the clinical pattern of ocular toxoplasmosis in a referral center in Spain.

Methods: The medical records of consecutive patients with ocular toxoplasmosis admitted from a single referral center for uveitis in Barcelona (Spain) were retrospectively analyzed between January 2005 and January 2011.

Results: One hundred and thirteen eyes from 113 patients (74 Spanish and 39 South American) with active ocular toxoplasmosis were analyzed with a 12-month follow-up. Final BCVA ≤ 20/200 was found in 30 eyes (26.5%). The most frequent complications were macular edema (16.8%) and epiretinal membrane (11.5%). Anterior chamber cell scores of ≥ 2+ (p = 0.003), vitreous cell scores of ≥ 2+ (p = 0.001), and the presence of cataracts (p = 0.047) or serous retinal detachment (p = 0.008) were more common among the South American than Spanish cohort. Active macular lesions (p < 0.001) with an initial BCVA ≤ 20/200 (p < 0.001) and advanced age (p = 0.019) were predictors for final BCVA ≤ 20/200, whereas female gender (p = 0.021) and an initial BCVA ≤20/200 (p = 0.045) were predictors for ocular complications. Moreover, a BCVA ≤ 20/200 (p < 0.001) and a vitreous cell score of ≥ 2+ (p = 0.045) at the initial examination were predictors of an eventual need for ocular surgery.

Conclusion: The clinical features of ocular toxoplasmosis in Spanish patients differ from those of South American patients. In general, active macular lesions with an initial BCVA ≤ 20/200 and advanced age were shown to be predictors for final BCVA ≤ 20/200 in our patient cohort.