Clinical Optometry (Oct 2019)
Epidemiology and molecular diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis in patients attending Hamadan, west Iran ophthalmology clinics 2016–2017
Abstract
Mohamad Mehdi Johari Moghadam,1 Milad Mohamad Yari,2 Farid Azizi Jalilian,3 Razieh Amini,4 Nooshin Bazzazi5 1Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran; 3Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 4Department of Molecular Medicineand Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 5Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IranCorrespondence: Farid Azizi JalilianDepartment of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Fahmideh Street, Hamadan 6517838678, IranTel +98 813 838 0462Fax +98 813 838 0462Email [email protected] AminiDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Fahmideh Street, Hamadan 6517838678, IranTel +98 813 838 0572Fax +98 813 838 0208Email [email protected]: Viruses are considered the most common cause of infectious conjunctivitis. PCR has been approved as the best standard method to diagnose viral conjunctivitis. This study was conducted to investigate epidemiological patterns of conjunctivitis in Hamadan, west Iran. In addition, the frequency of the most important cause of infectious conjunctivitis diagnosed by PCR and its seasonal variations and association with certain socioeconomic and health factors were studied.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 125 patients with suspected viral conjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis in Hamadan, west Iran from July 2016 to June 2017 were examined for the presence of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), HSV2, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), adenovirus. and Chlamydia trachomatis using multiplex real-time PCR.Results: Adenoviruses were the most prevalent pathogens (94.4%). HSV1 was found in two (1.6%) patients. HSV2, VZV, and C. trachomatis were not seen in any patients. There was no difference in acquisition of conjunctivitis between men and women. A total of 55 (44%) patients attended the clinics in summer.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that adenoviruses were a much more common viral cause of conjunctivitis in the studied region compared to findings in other regions. In addition, the acquisition rate of eye infection is expected to decrease dramatically in this region through control of adenoviruses. Demographic variables ie, age, sex, and income level, were not significantly associated with acquisition of viral infection.Keywords: epidemiology, conjunctivitis, virus, polymerase chain reaction
