Purpose: Identification of optimal enrollment criteria for a CMVR screening program suitable for a resource-limited environment.
Methods: A prospective audit was performed on newly diagnosed HIV patients referred for CMVR screening with any of the following four criteria: (1) visual symptoms, (2) low CD4(+) counts (<50 cells/µL), (3) AIDS-defining illnesses (ADI), and/or (4) opportunistic infections (OI). Odds ratios for each of the demographic factors and enrollment criteria were calculated. Sensitivities, specificities, and workload reduction for the various combinations were determined.
Results: A total of 348 screening visits for 176 HIV patients were performed. While individually only ADI was statistically significant for increased CMVR risk, the combination of CD4(+) counts <50 cells/μL with either ADI or visual symptoms or all 3 criteria were also statistically significant. Two enrollment criteria, ADI and ADI with CD4(+) <50 cells/μL, demonstrated good sensitivities, specificities, and workload reduction.
Conclusion: We propose ADI and possibly CD4(+) counts <50 cells/μL as enrollment criteria for CMVR screening.
Keywords: AIDS-defining illness; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; cytomegalovirus retinitis; enrollment; fundus photography; screening.