Trachoma in Sudan: Case series from Two Eye Care Hospitals and a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background Trachoma is a common infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Although it has largely now disappeared from developed countries, it is still endemic in many developing countries. We aimed to highlight clinical stages and common related socio-demographic and household characteristics among patients with trachoma in Sudan. Methods A hospital-based case series descriptive study was conducted at Makah Eye Complex and Abdalfadeel-Almaz hospital in Khartoum, Sudan. We included all Trachoma patients from all age groups attending the two eye care hospitals in the period from 1st to 31st March 2015. Data was collected through clinical examination, hospital records, and face to face interview using a structured questionnaire, Also, we conducted a review of the literature to highlights the epidemiological aspect of trachoma in Sudan, using the databases of MEDLINE (PubMed) and Google Scholar. Results In this case series, we identified 125 patients with trachoma in the study period. Most of them were aged more than 50 years old (78.4%). Half of the participants (56%) were positive for active trachoma, 40.8% of them were having Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT), and 56% of them have Trachoma Follicles (TF). Majority of the patients have low socioeconomic status and poor personal and environmental hygiene (88%), (44%) and (74.4%), respectively. Conclusion Low socioeconomic status and poor personal and environmental hygiene are common socio-demographic and household characteristics among patients with trachoma. Despite the progress that has been made towards disease elimination, trachoma is still a public health problem in Sudan. Our review highlights the magnitude of trachoma and the progress towards its elimination in Sudan.