Demography and clinical profile of patients of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in a tertiary eye care center of Bihar

Abstract

Objective: To know the demography and clinical profile of patients of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) presented in the out-patient department of regional institute of ophthalmology (RIO), IGIMS Patna, Bihar over a period of 1 year from May 2017 to April 2018. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study done on diagnosed patients of vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Out of total 25344 OPD patients, 1267patients were in age group of 1-25 years and either sex. Out of which 240 patients were included in this study had diagnosis of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) on the basis of their history, symptoms and clinical findings. Detailed history was taken from each patient including age at the onset of the disease, gender of the patient, any seasonal variations, his/her place of residence, any associated allergic or "atopic" illnesses. Thorough examination was done to find out visual acuity, condition of cornea, limbus, bulbar, palpebral conjunctiva and associated complications. Results: Out of 240 patients, VKC was more common in male (86.66%) than female (13.33%) patients with maximum cases seen between 6-10 years of age. Majority of cases reported in summer in the month of May and June. Palpebral form was predominant among all that is around 174(72.5%) cases followed by mixed 50(20.83%) and Limbal form 16 (6.66%). Most common symptom was itching (100%) seen in almost all cases. Palpebral papillae were commonest sign. Associated allergic conditions were found in 16 (6.66%) patients. Conclusion:Vernal keratoconjunctivitis is a recurrent bilateral disorder in which both IgE and cell mediated immunity play important roles. It primarily affects boys and onset is generally from about age of 5 years onwards and resolves around puberty. The clinical course of this disease is usually benign and self-limiting, with vision in most children remains normal but sight threatening complications may manifest if cornea gets involved. Few cases showed history of atopy and other allergic conditions. VKC is one of the leading causes of outpatient ophthalmic morbidity.