Foveolitis Associated with Dengue Fever: A Case Series

Vol. 222, No. 5, 2008

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Original Paper

Foveolitis Associated with Dengue Fever: A Case Series
Boon-Kwang Loh^a, Kristine Bacsal^a, Soon-Phaik Chee^{a, b}, Bob Ching-Li Cheng^a, Doric Wong^a

^aSingapore National Eye Centre and
^bNational University of Singapore, Singapore

Address of Corresponding Author

Ophthalmologica 2008;222:317-320 (DOI: 10.1159/000144074)

Key Words

Dengue fever
Maculopathy
Disruption of outer retina
Foveolitis
Yellow-orange lesion at fovea

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever (DF), a viral infection caused by dengue virus, is characterized by fever, headache, muscle and joint pains. Approximately 50-100 million people are infected annually. Ocular manifestations during DF are uncommon and include intraretinal hemorrhages and cotton wool spots; manifestations predominantly characterized by foveal involvement have not been described before in DF or any other retinopathies. We describe the clinical features of a series of patients with DF-associated foveolitis. Methods: A retrospective review of patients with maculopathy associated with DF was conducted. Patients found to have a yellow-orange lesion at the fovea, supported by a typical optical coherence tomography (OCT) finding of disruption of the outer neurosensory retina, were analyzed. Results: Ten eyes of 6 patients were studied. The mean age was 19.8 years. The mean presenting best corrected visual acuity was 6/45 (range of 6/7.5 to counting fingers). Fundus examination revealed a yellow-orange lesion at the fovea which corresponded to outer neurosensory retina disruption on OCT. Multifocal electroretinography showed decreased foveal and parafoveal responses. Treatment was variable, depended on visual acuity and ranged from observation to immunosuppression. Conclusion: Foveolitis may be associated with DF. OCT is a useful tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of progression of this condition.

Author Contacts

Dr. Boon-Kwang Loh
Singapore National Eye Centre
11, Third Hospital Avenue
Singapore 168751 (Singapore)
Tel. +65 6322 8330, Fax +65 6226 3395, E-Mail lohboonkwang@yahoo.com

Article Information

Presented at the 5th European Vitreoretinal Society Meeting, June 2005, Orebro, Sweden (Best Poster Award - 2nd prize).

Received: May 31, 2007
Accepted: August 9, 2007
Published online: July 11, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 4
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 13

Medline Abstract (ID 18617754)

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