Intraocular Inflammation Associated with Ocular Toxoplasmosis:Relationships at Initial Examination

PURPOSE: To describe characteristics of intraocular inflammation in eyes with active ocular toxoplasmosis and to identify relationships between signs of inflammation, complications (including elevated intraocular pressure [IOP]), other disease features, and host characteristics.DESIGN: Multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional study.METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 210 patients with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis at seven in ternational sites (North America, South America, and Europe) for information from the first examination at each site during which patients had active retinal lesions. Signs of inflammation included anterior chamber (AC) cells and flare and vitreous humor cells and haze. Retinal lesion characteristics included size (1 DA) and presence or absence of macular involvement.RESULTS: AC cells and flare were related to vitreous inflammatory reactions (PCONCLUSIONS: There is substantial variation between patients in the severity of intraocular inflammation associated with ocular toxoplasmosis, attributable to multiple host and disease-related factors. Results suggest that disease characteristics also vary in different areas of the world. Elevated IOP at initial examination reflects the severity of inflammation. (Am J Ophthalmol 2008;146:856-865. (C) 2008 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)