Allergic conjunctivitis incidence high in rural population

SANTIAGO, Chile — Poor access to health care services is a main reason why the incidence of chronic allergic conjunctivitis in a rural town in Ecuador is disproportionately high compared to international statistics, said Ximena Velastegui, MD, at the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology meeting here.

Dr. Velastegui and colleagues studied 441 school-age children in Zumbahua, in the Cotopaxi province, to determine how many met clinical criteria for a diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis and, out of that group, how many were chronic cases. Their goals were to estimate the prevalence of the disease in children and adolescents in this area, pinpoint the most frequent symptoms and signs, and determine which cases would be considered chronic based on the presence of eosinophils. None of the children had been treated previously for their symptoms.

Out of the patient population of 225 boys and 216 girls, 123 (27.9%) met the criteria for a diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis. The most common signs and symptoms were pruritus (100%), papillae (96.7%) and tearing (86.9%). Conjunctival eosinophils were found in 43 (34.9%) of the positive cases.

Dr. Velastegui said the study points to the pressing need to reach out to isolated, rural communities such as Zumbahua, where treatable conditions usually go undetected.

“We need to underscore the importance of the rural doctor, not only in the early detection or prevention of this disease — since unfortunately these patients are permanently exposed to certain environmental allergens — but above all to increase their access to health services and to specific treatments,” she said.

“As we conducted this study, we realized that we were dealing with a virgin population that had never had access before to these types of treatments for this type of disease,” Dr. Velastegui noted. She added that further studies should be conducted in similar rural populations to determine how widespread the problem is.