Impression Cytology with Transfer in xerophthalmia and conjunctival diseases.
During a countrywide survey, we assessed the prevalence of clinical signs of xerophthalmia and of major conjunctival diseases in a randomized sample of 2,445 subjects representative of the population of the Republic of Djibouti. On a part of this sample, conjunctival Impression Cytology with Transfer (ICT) test and a plasma retinol determination were performed. Xerophthalmia as a public health problem was displayed by clinical signs (Bitot's spots, corneal scars among preschool children), low plasma retinol levels and ICT test results: 9.3% with deficient cytology in the rural area and 12.3% in the urban one (age-standardized rates). Results of ICT were related to age (p < 0.00001). Vitamin A deficiency was prevalent not only in preschool children but also up to 15 years. Moreover, ICT results are influenced by conjunctival diseases: compared to age-matched controls, there were more abnormal cytologies among patients with trachomatous inflammation (p = 0.025), conjunctivitis (p = 0.024) or Limbal Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (p = 0.015). Thus ICT shouldn't be performed among children with conjunctival diseases. In the region under study conjunctival diseases had high rates of prevalence: 16.4% of trachomatous scarrings in the urban area (standardized rate), 8% of conjunctivitis among rural preschool children, and 5% of Limbal Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis among children between 5 and 14 years in both areas.
Resnikoff
S
S
Institute of African Tropical Ophthalmology (IOTA), Bamako, Mali.
Luzeau
R
R
Filliard
G
G
Amedee-Manesme
O
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003229:Conjunctival Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D003710:Demography; D015730:Djibouti / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*
D014801:Vitamin A