HIV and the eye

In the second of this series on systemic disease Dr Iain Phillips provides an up-to-date summary of HIV and reviews the important ophthalmic complications of the disease

Human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) is the causal agent of acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease that is characterised by immuno-suppression and atypical infection. The first cases of AIDS were reported in 1981. Five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, an infection that is very rare in immuno-competent individuals, was found in HIV positive patients.¹

HIV is a bloodborne infection and is transmitted by sexual intercourse, intravenous drug use, needle stick injuries in health professionals and vertically from mother to newborn child. The incidence of HIV is increasing at an alarming rate. It is thought that more than 40 million people are infected, the majority of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa.

HIV is an RNA virus, which replicates through a DNA copy of the viral RNA.² It is possible to understand current treatment and future directions for new therapies through knowledge of the structure and life-cycle of the HIV virus.