{"id":45827,"date":"2016-05-25T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/zika-virus-may-be-linked-to-more-eye-problems-in-brazilian-babies-with-microcephaly\/"},"modified":"2016-05-25T05:02:25","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T09:02:25","slug":"el-virus-del-zika-puede-estar-vinculado-a-mas-problemas-oculares-en-bebes-brasilenos-con-microcefalia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/el-virus-del-zika-puede-estar-vinculado-a-mas-problemas-oculares-en-bebes-brasilenos-con-microcefalia\/","title":{"rendered":"Zika Virus May Be Linked to More Eye Problems in Brazilian Babies with Microcephaly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN FRANCISCO<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 25, 2016<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Researchers studying babies with a Zika virus-related birth defect say they have found previously unreported eye problems possibly linked to the virus that could result in severe visual impairment. In three Brazilian infants with microcephaly, the researchers observed retinal lesions, hemorrhaging and abnormal blood vessel development not noted before in relation to the virus. The findings are being published online today in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aaojournal.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i>Ophthalmology<\/i><\/a>, journal of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aao.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">American Academy of Ophthalmology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Photo &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160523\/371115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160523\/371115<\/a><br \/>Photo &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160523\/371116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160523\/371116<\/a><br \/>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20151114\/287412LOGO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20151114\/287412LOGO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Zika virus is now known to cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by smaller head and brain size.<sup>1<\/sup> In <span class=\"xn-location\">Brazil<\/span>, the site of the most serious outbreak, nearly 1.5 million people reportedly have the virus. Some 4,000 infants were recently born with microcephaly, according to reports.<sup>2<\/sup> As a result, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency in February, bringing added urgency to the need for more research. A prior study of 29 Brazilian babies with presumed congenital Zika infection showed that a third had eye problems. These included ocular lesions, optic nerve abnormalities and chorioretinal atrophy, a withering of the retina and choroid, the latter of which provides oxygen and nutrients to the retina.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>For this case study, ophthalmology researchers from <span class=\"xn-location\">Brazil<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-org\">Stanford University<\/span> examined\u00a0the eyes of three infant boys from <span class=\"xn-location\">Northern Brazil<\/span> born in late 2015 with microcephaly. All had mothers with suspected Zika virus infections during the first trimester of pregnancy. Among the findings, the researchers identified\u00a0several types of ocular issues\u00a0not previously observed in relation to Zika virus, some of which could cause visual impairment if untreated. These included:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><b>Hemorrhagic retinopathy<\/b>, or bleeding in the retina, the\u00a0light-sensitive layer of cells lining\u00a0the back of the eye; <\/li>\n<li><b>Abnormal\u00a0vasculature in the retina<\/b>, including signs of missing blood vessels in the retina where the cells may have died; and <\/li>\n<li><b>Torpedo maculopathy<\/b>, identified by torpedo-shaped\u00a0lesions in\u00a0the macula, the central portion\u00a0of the retina. While retinal lesions have been observed in prior papers on Zika-related ocular findings, the authors note that this type of lesion has not been observed in cases of microcephaly. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to these observations, the infants in this study also exhibited other ocular symptoms noted in the previous study. Specifically, all three babies in this case study showed signs of pigmentary maculopathy, lesions that appear as speckles of pigment on the macula. Four eyes had symptoms of chorioretinal atrophy marked by a darkly pigmented ring.<\/p>\n<p>The study is small with limited observational data. However, the findings add to a growing body of clinical information about how the Zika virus may affect children&#8217;s eye development and vision. The authors noted that it\u00a0remains unclear whether the viral infection itself causes\u00a0eye abnormalities\u00a0or if they are a\u00a0consequence of Zika-induced microcephaly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To my knowledge, the eye problems we found have not been associated with Zika virus before,&#8221; said <span class=\"xn-person\">Darius Moshfeghi<\/span>, M.D., senior author and a professor of ophthalmology at the <span class=\"xn-org\">Stanford University<\/span> School of Medicine. &#8220;The next step is to differentiate what findings are related to the Zika virus itself versus microcephaly caused by the virus in order to better understand which infants will need screening.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For now, the authors are calling for all babies with microcephaly in areas hit by Zika to be examined by an ophthalmologist.\u00a0This is consistent with recent screening recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Until further notice, health professionals in regions endemic for Zika infection are advised to submit all newborns with microcephaly to retinal examinations,&#8221; the authors wrote. &#8220;The procedure can contribute significantly to our understanding of the infection.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aaojournal.org\/article\/S0161-6420(16)30277-9\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Expanded Spectrum of Congenital Ocular Findings in Microcephaly with Presumed Zika Infection<\/a>,&#8221; de Miranda et al. <i>Ophthalmology<\/i>, article in press, <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 2016<\/span>. DOI: 10.1016\/j.ophtha.2016.05.001. For a full copy of the study, or more information, please contact <a href=\"mailto:media@aao.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">media@aao.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The American Academy of Ophthalmology is updating its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aao.org\/clinical-statement\/zika-virus-infection-potential-ophthalmic-manifest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">clinical statement on Zika virus<\/a> based on these findings. For more information on eye conditions and diseases, visit the American Academy of Ophthalmology&#8217;s EyeSmart\u00ae public information website, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aao.org\/eye-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.aao.org\/eye-health<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><b>About the American Academy of Ophthalmology<br \/><\/b>The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world&#8217;s largest membership association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 ophthalmologists, we are passionate about protecting sight and fighting preventable blindness. For more than 120 years, we have been educators, innovators and advocates for the public and our profession to ensure the highest-quality medical and surgical eye care. Our EyeSmart\u00ae program is a preeminent source of eye health information for the public and empowers people to preserve their vision. For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aao.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.aao.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>About <i>Ophthalmology <br \/><\/i><\/b><i>Ophthalmology<\/i>, the official journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, publishes original, peer-reviewed, clinically-applicable research. Topics include the results of clinical trials, new diagnostic and surgical techniques, treatment methods, technology assessments, translational science reviews and editorials. For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aaojournal.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.aaojournal.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMsr1604338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMsr1604338<\/a>\u00a0 <br \/><sup>2<\/sup><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/brazil-releases-new-figures-in-zika-outbreak-1457566084\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/brazil-releases-new-figures-in-zika-outbreak-1457566084<\/a>\u00a0 <br \/><sup>3<\/sup><a href=\"http:\/\/archopht.jamanetwork.com\/article.aspx?articleid=2491896\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/archopht.jamanetwork.com\/article.aspx?articleid=2491896<\/a>\u00a0<br \/><sup>4<\/sup><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/65\/wr\/mm6503e3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/65\/wr\/mm6503e3.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p\/>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN FRANCISCO<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 25, 2016<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Researchers studying babies with a Zika virus-related birth defect say they have found previously unreported eye problems possibly linked to the virus that could result in severe visual impairment. In three Brazilian infants with microcephaly, the researchers observed retinal lesions, hemorrhaging and abnormal blood vessel development not noted before in relation to the virus. The findings are being published online today in &lt;a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salud"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}