title: [Characteristics of patients with pterygium in the Botucatu region].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the characteristics of patients with conjunctival pterygia in the Botucatu region (São Paulo State).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the gender, occupation, complaints and lesion characteristics (primary or recurrent lesion, size, involutive or pulpous) of patients with pterygium. The data were submitted to statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately half of the patients were female and over 40 years old. The main complaint was the esthetic effect of the lesion. The majority of the lesions were primary (77.08%), grade 2 (69.6%) and pulpous (86.7%). Pterygium grade 4 was present in the 1.4% of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most patients were female, over 40 years old. Primary, grade 2 and pulpous lesion was the most frequently observed. Blindness caused by pterygium is still present in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oftalmologia, Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP.
authors.forename: Silvana Artioli
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Schellini
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: dos Reis Veloso
authors.forename: Wannessa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Carlos Roberto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Padovani
authors.forename: Carlos Roberto Pereira
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Padovani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011625:Pterygium / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution