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Keratitis in children as seen in a tertiary hospital in Africa

Adeyinka Ashaye1, Ayeni Aimola

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. adeyinkaashaye@yahoo.com

Journal of the National Medical Association
|May 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Herpes simplex keratitis is the primary cause of childhood keratitis in Nigerian children, often leading to poor visual outcomes. This contrasts with other keratitis types where outcomes are generally better, suggesting underrepresentation in blindness studies.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Childhood blindness in developing nations is often linked to keratitis from traditional eye medications.
  • Nutritional deficiencies and bacterial infections are presumed causes, but hospital-based outcomes may vary.
  • Understanding specific etiological patterns of pediatric keratitis is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the clinical types of pediatric keratitis at a Nigerian tertiary hospital.
  • To compare these findings with existing international reports on childhood keratitis.
  • To assess the visual outcomes associated with different keratitis etiologies in children.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective analysis of pediatric keratitis cases at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria (2003-2005).
  • Data collected included patient demographics, etiological diagnosis of keratitis, and management outcomes.
  • Visual acuity was assessed post-healing to determine visual outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) was the leading cause (49.5%) in 95 pediatric patients, often involving epithelial and stromal layers.
  • Measles infection and malnutrition-associated keratitis occurred in 22.1% of cases.
  • Bacterial/fungal keratitis (8.4%) and vernal ulcers (4.2%) were also identified, with very poor visual outcomes in bacterial/fungal cases.

Conclusions:

  • HSK is the predominant cause of pediatric keratitis at this Nigerian tertiary hospital, with clinical presentations consistent with global reports.
  • Except for HSK, most keratitis types were associated with very poor visual outcomes.
  • Existing blindness studies may underestimate the prevalence of HSK in this region.
Abstract

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