PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of eye posterior lesions in patients with tuberculosis in the Federal District, Brazil, and to identify the risk factors for the appearance of these lesions. METHODS: In a prospective study, indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy was performed in 292 patients with systemic tuberculosis. These patients were examined in five different Regional Hospitals of the Federal District, between August 1st, 1997 and July 30th, 1998. A multiple analysis was applied to identify associations between the variable "eye posterior lesion" and the variables "sex, age, bacilloscopy, HIV, tuberculosis site, patient hospitalization, duration of symptoms, origin of the patient and previous experience with treatment. RESULTS: The results showed a 5,5% incidence of posterior lesions in patients with tuberculosis. A multiple analysis showed that HIV co-infection, patient hospitalization and miliary tuberculosis were risk factors for the presence of eye posterior lesions. When these characteristics were simultaneously present, the probability of a patient to present these lesions was 66%. CONCLUSIONS: In the evaluation of the incidence of eye posterior lesions in patients with tuberculosis, certain individual characteristics should be taken in to account, since risk factors, such as HIV co-infection, miliary tuberculosis, and hospitalization, influenced the presence of these lesions.
Tuberculosis; Fundus oculi; Choroid; Ocular tuberculosis; Miliary tuberculosis; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
