Recurrence rate of herpetic uveitis in patients on long-term oral acyclovir

• Published in: Documenta ophthalmologica 1995-01, Vol.90 (4), p.331-340
• Main Authors: RODRIGUEZ, A, POWER, W. J, NEVES, R. A, FOSTER, C. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - complications; Acyclovir - therapeutic use; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; AIDS/HIV; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Atrophy; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Iridocyclitis - virology; Iris - pathology; Keratitis, Dendritic - drug therapy; Keratitis, Dendritic - etiology; Keratitis, Dendritic - physiopathology; Keratitis, Herpetic - drug therapy; Keratitis, Herpetic - etiology; Keratitis, Herpetic - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Recurrence; Treatment Outcome; Uveitis - physiopathology; Uveitis - virology; Visual Acuity
• ISSN: 0012-4486; 1573-2622
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01268121

We examined the recurrence rate of herpetic uveitis (HU) in 13 patients (group A) treated prophylactically with long-term systemic acyclovir (600-800 mg/day) and compared it with that of 7 patients with no prophylactic therapy (group B). HU was diagnosed on the basis of a history of dendritic or disciform keratitis accompanied by iridocyclitis and iris atrophy. The study population consisted of 12 men and 8 women with a mean age at onset of uveitis of 52.9 years (range 19-78 years). All patients were followed for at least 8 months. The mean follow-up time of patients on long-term oral acyclovir was 26.0 months. In this group, only one patient experienced a single recurrent episode of uveitis while on 600-800 mg/day of acyclovir therapy; two additional patients had recurrence of HU within 16.2 months after the acyclovir dose was tapered below 600 mg/day. In striking contrast, 16 recurrences occurred in the 7 patients of group B (p < 0.05). Of these, the initial recurrence occurred within an average of 4.3 months following cessation of therapy. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the mean recurrence-free interval between patients in group A (24.6 months) and those in group B (3.4 months). Herpetic uveitis is a serious ocular disease in which recurrence of inflammation results in severe ocular complications. The long-term use of oral acyclovir may be of benefit in the prevention of recurrences, and hence may reduce the blinding complications of this disease. Efforts at completing a randomized, placebo-controlled trial on this matter by the Herpes Epithelial Disease Study Group were unsuccessful due to insufficient patient recruitment.