Epidemiological study of different types of keratitis in Sohag

ABSTRACT

One of the main causes of blindness in Egypt is corneal blindness. Infections account most causes of corneal blindness. The aim of this work to study the epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment outcome of patients with microbial keratitis in Sohag. A descriptive study of 300 patients with corneal ulceration referred to ophthalmology department of Sohag University Hospital over a 1-year period, September 2008 through August 2009. A specially designed questionnaire sheet was administered from all cases. Then all cases were subjected to, general and eye examination, direct smear examination, final diagnosis and treatment. Pure bacterial keratitis cases were 85[28.4%], which showed gram positive and negative cocci, pure fungal 75[25%], and the largest number of studied cases 110 [36.6%] had mixed bacterial and fungal infection, viral nature of keratitis accounted for 10 [3.3%] of cases. 20 [6.6%] of cases could not be microbiologically identified. More than half of patients of mixed, bacterial, fungal and viral kiratitis were above 50 years old. The majority of the patients of mixed, bacterial, fungal and viral kiratitis were, fanners. Diabetes mellitus and eye trauma were more frequently noted in keratitis of both pure and polymicrobial etiology. Corneal injury with vegetative matter was identified as the predominant risk factor in fungal kiratitis and the predominant fungal species isolated was filamentous spp. Regarding the treatment outcome, healing with dense scar occurs in 100 [91%] of mixed and 46 [61%] of fungal infections. All viral keratitis cases healed uncomplicated with faint superficial scar. Suppurative keratitis continues to be a cause of concern to ophthalmologists in Sohag. Old age, male sex, diabetes mellitus, eye trauma and the predominance of agricultural activity are the principal risk factors of keratitis of both pure and polymicrobial etiology