Quality of Life Outcomes Among Patients Being Screened for Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Thailand

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis can have debilitating impacts on quality of life (QOL), but few contemporary studies have characterized these ramifications. This study assessed the impact of CMV retinitis on vision-related QOL for those living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. QOL was assessed as part of a prospective interventional cohort study of patients referred to a tertiary hospital in Thailand for CMV retinitis screening. A validated vision-related QOL questionnaire was administered at the baseline screening visit and at the 6-month study visit. Multivariable linear regression models were performed to determine the effect of CMV retinitis diagnosis on QOL score. A total of 152 participants completed the QOL questionnaire at their initial clinic visit. At baseline, a diagnosis of CMV retinitis diagnosis was significantly associated with decreased QOL score: unilateral retinitis was associated with a 0.11 (95% CI: −0.26–0.03) decrement in QOL, and bilateral retinitis was associated with a 0.33 (95% CI: −0.51–0.16) decrement (joint P-value = 0.0009). For the 78 participants with a 6-month visit, changes in QOL from baseline were small and not significant. A diagnosis of CMV retinitis was still associated with decreased QOL score at 6 months (joint P-value = 0.03). This study found that vision-related QOL was lower in those with CMV retinitis, especially with bilateral involvement, and did not improve after treatment among those with follow-up. These findings reinforce the debilitating clinical manifestations of this disease, and support efforts for earlier screening to detect CMV retinitis before impacts on QOL have occurred.</p

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys

Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys. Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations. Founding principles are health ministry ownership, partnership and collaboration, and quality assurance and quality control at every step of the survey process. Support covers survey planning, survey design, training, electronic data collection and fieldwork, and data management, analysis and dissemination. Methods are adapted to meet local context and needs. Customisations, operational research and integration of other diseases into routine trachoma surveys have also been supported. Between 29th February 2016 and 24th April 2023, 3373 trachoma surveys across 50 countries have been supported, resulting in 10,818,502 people being examined for trachoma. This health ministry-led, standardised approach, with support from the start to the end of the survey process, has helped all trachoma elimination stakeholders to know where interventions are needed, where interventions can be stopped, and when elimination as a public health problem has been achieved. Flexibility to meet specific country contexts, adaptation to changes in global guidance and adjustments in response to user feedback have facilitated innovation in evidence-based methodologies, and supported health ministries to strive for global disease control targets.</p