Cytomegalovirus retinitis and low cd4+ t-lymphocyte counts

To the Editor: Cytomegalovirus retinitis is among the most common infections in patients with AIDS. With survival increasing in patients with AIDS as a result of successful primary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cytomegalovirus disease now develops in an estimated 45 percent of such patients in the United States.¹ The risk of developing cytomegalovirus retinitis increases with progressive immunodeficiency. For patients with base-line CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of 100 cells per cubic millimeter or 50 cells per cubic millimeter, Pertel et al.² noted that the cumulative incidence at 27 months was 26.3 percent and 41.9 percent, respectively. In one series, the.