Clinical Ophthalmology (Mar 2021)

Characteristics of Keratoconus Patients in Jordan: Hospital-Based Population

  • Alqudah N,
  • Jammal H,
  • Khader Y,
  • Al-dolat W,
  • Alshamarti S,
  • Shannak Z

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 881 – 887

Abstract

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Noor Alqudah,1 Hisham Jammal,1 Yousef Khader,2 Wedad Al-dolat,3 Sarah Alshamarti,1 Zaki Shannak1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 2Department of Public Health, Community Medicine and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, JordanCorrespondence: Noor AlqudahDepartment of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 3030 Ramtha Street, Irbid, 22110, JordanTel +00962798510010Email [email protected]: To study the demographic, clinical and topographic characteristics of keratoconus patients in Jordan.Methods: A retrospective study which was conducted at King Abdullah University Hospital, Northern Jordan. The patients who visited our outpatient clinic from March 2015 to September 2020 and had a definite diagnosis of keratoconus were included in this study. Demographic and clinical data, including age, gender, family history, past ocular history, ophthalmic examination, and topographic parameters, were collected and analysed. Keratoconus severity was classified according to K mean readings.Results: A total of 234 patients with keratoconus were evaluated in this study. The majority of patients (73, 31.2%) were between the ages of 20 and 24. Allergic conjunctivitis was the most frequent past ocular history. Fifty-five patients (23.5%) had a family history of keratoconus. Regarding severity, most of the eyes were mild (63.3%), followed by moderate (24.7%), and then severe (11.9%). The severity of keratoconus was significantly associated with gender (p< 0.001). No correlation was found between family history and severity.Conclusion: Most of the Keratoconus patients were young, with a mean age of 25.9 years. The majority were mild in severity, with more females presented in the severe stage. The study reported high rate of family history (23.5%) in comparison to similar studies. Therefore, screening of family members of Keratoconus patients is advisable.Keywords: keratoconus, keratoconus characteristics, demographic profile, topographic parameters, Jordan

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