Maude, Richard JamesAhmed, BUM WahidAbu Hayat Md Waliur RahmanRahman, RidwanurMajumder, Mohammed IshaqueMenezes, Darryl BraganzaSayeed, Abdullah AbuHughes, LauraMacGillivray, Thomas JBorooah, ShyamangaDhillon, BaljeanDondorp, Arjen MFaiz, Mohammad AbulMahidol University. Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit2017-10-102017-10-102017-10-102014BMC Public Health. Vol.14, (2014), 527https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/2841Background: In visceral leishmaniasis (VL), retinal changes have previously been noted but not described in detail and their clinical and pathological significance are unknown. A prospective observational study was undertaken in Mymensingh, Bangladesh aiming to describe in detail visible changes in the retina in unselected patients with VL. Methods: Patients underwent assessment of visual function, indirect and direct ophthalmoscopy and portable retinal photography. The photographs were assessed by masked observers including assessment for vessel tortuosity using a semi-automated system. Results: 30 patients with VL were enrolled, of whom 6 (20%) had abnormalities. These included 5 with focal retinal whitening, 2 with cotton wool spots, 2 with haemorrhages, as well as increased vessel tortuosity. Visual function was preserved. Conclusions: These changes suggest a previously unrecognized retinal vasculopathy. An inflammatory aetiology is plausible such as a subclinical retinal vasculitis, possibly with altered local microvascular autoregulation, and warrants further investigation.engMahidol UniversityLeishmaniasisRetinaRetinopathyVisceralBangladeshKala-azarOpen Access articleResearch ArticleBioMed Central