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New Mexico AIDS InfoNet Fact Sheet Number 501

CMV (Cytomegalovirus)


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WHAT IS CMV?
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an opportunistic infection. About 50% of the general population and 90% of people with HIV carry CMV. A healthy immune system keeps this virus in check. When HIV or another disease weakens immune defenses, CMV can attack several parts of the body.

The most common illness caused by CMV is retinitis. This is the death of cells in the retinas, the back of the eye. It can quickly cause blindness unless treated. CMV can spread throughout the body and infect several organs at once. The risk of CMV is highest when CD4 cell counts are below 100.

The first signs of CMV retinitis are vision problems such as moving black spots. These are called "floaters." They may indicate an inflammation of the retina. Some doctors recommend eye exams to catch CMV retinitis. The exams are done by an ophthalmologist (an eye specialist.) If your CD4 count is below 200 and you experience any vision problems, tell your doctor immediately.


HOW IS CMV TREATED?
The first treatments for CMV required daily intravenous infusions. Either ganciclovir or foscarnet was used. These drugs can control CMV disease, but can't cure it. Because of the daily infusions, most people had a permanent medication "port" inserted into their chest or arm. These ports, called Hickman or Groschung catheters, must be kept very clean to avoid infections. People with CMV disease had to keep taking anti-CMV drugs for life.

CMV treatments have improved dramatically over the past several years.

Strong HIV medications can improve the immune system. Patients can stop taking CMV drugs if their CD4 cell count goes over 100 to 150 and stays there for at least six months.


CAN CMV BE PREVENTED?
Ganciclovir was approved for prevention (prophylaxis) of CMV. However, many physicians don't prescribe it. They don't want to add up to 12 capsules a day for their patients. Also, it's not clear that it does any good. Two large studies came to different conclusions. Finally, strong antiviral medications keep most people's CD4 counts high enough so that they won't get CMV.


HOW DO I CHOOSE A TREATMENT FOR CMV?
There are several issues to consider when choosing a treatment for active CMV disease:

How effective is it? Intravenous ganciclovir appears to be the most effective overall CMV treatment. Implants are very effective at stopping retinitis, but only in the eye with the implant.

How is it administered? Pills are the easiest to manage. Intravenous (IV) medication involves needle sticks or implanting a medication line that might become infected. Ocular injections mean inserting a needle directly into the eye. Implants, which last six to eight months, take about an hour to insert in an office procedure.

Is it a local therapy or systemic? Local therapies affect just the eyes. CMV retinitis can progress rapidly and lead to blindness. For this reason, it is treated aggressively when it first shows up. The newer injections or implants put medication directly into the eye and have the greatest impact on retinitis.

CMV can also show up in other places in the body. To control CMV in the rest of the body, you need a systemic (whole-body) therapy. Intravenous medication can be used, or valganciclovir pills.

What are the side effects? The intravenous CMV drugs and valganciclovir can damage your bone marrow or kidneys. This may require additional medications. Foscarnet involves long, slow, daily infusions. Ganciclovir also requires daily infusions. Cidofovir infusions are just once every two weeks (after an initial weekly infusion period). This means you don't need an implanted medication line. However, cidofovir has some serious side effects.


THE BOTTOM LINE
Strong anti-HIV drugs are probably the best way to prevent CMV. If your T-cell count is below 200, talk with your doctor about CMV prevention and a regular schedule of eye exams. If you experience ANY unusual vision problems, see your doctor immediately!

Treatments directly in the eye make it possible to control CMV retinitis. With the newer drugs to treat CMV, you can avoid implanted medication lines and daily infusions.

Most people can safely stop taking CMV medication if their T-cell counts go up and stay above 150 when they take anti-HIV drugs.


Revised March 22, 2002

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