Abstract

VENEGAS BRICENO, Ángel Guillermo et al. Comparison of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of two hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreaks. Rev Cubana Oftalmol [online]. 2008, vol.21, n.1, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3070.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of two acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreaks. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study in which the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of and the drug therapies applied to acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis cases occurred in two outbreaks (1998 and 2003) were compared. Data were collected from the epidemiological study of each case. Descriptive statistics was used to determine frequency and ratios. Ratio comparison in each variable was based on X². RESULTS: Of 1 403 acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis cases included in the study, 340 occurred in 1998 and 1 063 in 2003. The most affected age group was 20-29 years. Females were affected more often (n= 179 versus n= 538; OR= 1.04; p= 0.498). The most common symptoms in both outbreaks (1998 and 2003) were watering [n= 311 (91.5 %) vs n= 801 (75.2 %), p= ], photophobia [n= 296 (87 %) versus n= 814 (76.4 %), p= ], mucoserose secretion [n= 284 (83.5 %) versus n= 801 (75.2 %)], palpebral edema [n= 232 (68.2 %) versus n= 368 (34.5 %)], conjuctival hemorrhage [n= 229 (67.4 %) versus n= 817 (76.7 %)], chemosis [n= 126 (37 %) versus n= 379 (23 %)], palpebral hemorrhage [n= 114 (33.5 %) versus n= 100 (9.4 %)] . CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of both outbreaks of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis were similar in terms of their clinical presentation. Edema ratio was lower in 2003 outbreak than in 1998.

Keywords : Hemorrhagic conjunctivitis; comparison of two epidemiological outbreaks.

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