The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of retinal disease in a group of patients with AIDS in Malawi. Indirect ophthalmoscopy was performed on 99 patients with AIDS who were admitted consecutively to a medical ward at a central hospital. Necrotising retinitis was present in one eye of one patient examined. Non-infectious retinopathy was present in 13%. Retinitis is less common in AIDS patients from Africa compared with those from developed countries; it is believed that most patients die before acquiring it. Non-infectious retinopathy may also be less common.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*COMPLICATIONS Adolescence Adult AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY Female Human Malawi/EPIDEMIOLOGY Male Middle Age Prevalence Retinal Diseases/*COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY Retinitis/COMPLICATIONS Tuberculosis, Ocular/COMPLICATIONS JOURNAL ARTICLE

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