Clinical Ophthalmology (Jan 2020)
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Pterygium Among Adults Living in Kolla Diba Town, Northwest Ethiopia
Abstract
Tibebu Kassie Alemayehu, Yezinash Addis,* Zewdu Yenegeta Bizuneh,* Mebratu Mulusew Tegegne,* Abiy Maru Alemayehu* Department of Optometry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar City, Ethiopia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tibebu Kassie Alemayehu Tel +251910606005Email [email protected]: Pterygium is a disfiguring disease that can potentially lead to blindness. It is more common in warm, windy and dry climates of tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa. Globally, the prevalence ranging from 0.07% to 53%. Studies conducted on the prevalence of pterygium in developing countries were limited with a wider discrepancy between them. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of pterygium and its associated factors among adults in Kolla Diba town.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was done in Kolla Diba town from May 30-June 16, 2019. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 627 study participants. The basic ophthalmic examination was performed using portable slit lamp, 3x magnifying loop with torch light and a pretested structured questionnaire was completed. The data entered into EPI INFO version 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis were employed. P-values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: A total of 605 study participants were involved with a response rate of 96.5%. Among them, 317 (52.4%) participants were males. The mean age of the respondents was 38.18 ± 15.56 with a range of (18– 95) in years. The overall prevalence of pterygium was 112 (18.5% (95% CI (15.6– 21.7)). Being widowed (AOR = 7.32 (95% CI: 2.88, 18.57)), outdoor occupation (AOR = 2.50 (95% CI: 1.46, 4.29)), sun exposure (AOR = 2.38 (95% CI: 1.28, 4.43)), wind exposure (AOR = 1.97 (95% CI: 1.04, 3.72)), alcohol drinking (AOR = 2.26 (95% CI: 1.48, 4.63)), and severe blepharitis (AOR = 2.45 (95% CI: 1.48, 4.05)) had statistically significant positive association with pterygium.Conclusion: The prevalence of pterygium was relatively higher. Being widowed, outdoor occupation, sun exposure, wind exposure, alcohol drinking, and severe blepharitis were significantly associated with the development of pterygium.Keywords: pterygium, marital status, prevalence, Kolla Diba, Ethiopia
