Letter

Optic Nerve Cysticercosis at the Orbital Apex

Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi, MB, CH.B, DCH, FICMS

Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

ORCID:
Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2872-453X

J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2020; 15 (1): 121–121

Dear Editor,
I read with interest the case report by Goel[1]
published in the October–December 2018 issue of
the Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research.
The author described nicely a case of optic nerve
cysticercosis at the orbital apex presenting as
optic neuritis in an Indian patient.[1] It is well-
known that due to compromised immune system,
individuals infected with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) are more susceptible to various types
of viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections
compared to the individuals with healthy immune
system. Among parasitic infections, cysticercosis
has been reported among HIV-positive patients.[2]
To my knowledge, HIV infection is a distressing
health issue in India. The available data pointed
out to 0.26% HIV seroprevalence compared with
a global average of 0.2%,[3] and the overall
seropositivity for cysticercosis was reported to
be 5% among HIV-positive patients in India.[4] I
assume that the underlying HIV infection ought
to be taken into consideration in the studied
patient. Accordingly, planning for the diagnostic
battery of blood CD4 count and viral overload
measurements for HIV infection was envisaged.
If that battery was contemplated and it disclosed
HIV reactivity, the case in question could be
obviously regarded the second novel case report

of HIV-associated orbital cysticercosis in India.
The first report was of subretinal cysticercosis in
an Indian patient with AIDS reported nearly two
decades ago.[5]

Financial Support and Sponsorship
Nil.

Conflicts of Interest
There are no conflicts of interest.

REFERENCES

1. Goel N. Optic nerve cysticercosis at the orbital apex
presenting as optic neuritis. J Ophthalmic Vis Res
2018;13:508–510.

2. Chianura L, Sberna M, Moioli C, Villa MR, Orcese C,
Causarano R. Neurocysticercosis and human immunod-
eficiency virus infection: a case report. J Travel Med
2006;13:376–380.

3. Paranjape RS, Challacombe SJ. HIV/AIDS in India: an
overview of the Indian epidemic. Oral Dis 2016;22:10–14.

4. Parija SC, Gireesh AR. A serological study of cysticercosis
in patients with HIV. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo
2009;51:185–189.

5. George AE, Biswas J, Agarwal R, Kumarasamy N, Solomon
S. Subretinal cysticercosis in a patient with AIDS: treatment
with xenon arc photocoagulation. Retina 1999;19:467–
468.

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Correspondence to:

Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi, MB, CH.B, DCH, FICMS. Baghdad
55302, Iraq.
E-mail: mdalmendalawi@yahoo.com

Received: 25-11-2018 Accepted: 25-01-2019

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Website: https://knepublishing.com/index.php/JOVR

DOI: 10.18502/jovr.v15i1.5965

How to cite this article: Al-Mendalawi MD. Optic Nerve Cysticercosis at the
Orbital Apex. J Ophthalmic Vis Res 2020;15:121–121.

© 2020 JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMIC AND VISION RESEARCH | PUBLISHED BY KNOWLEDGE E 121

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