Comparative study of ocular herpes simplex virus in patients with and without self-reported atopy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the characteristics of ocular herpes simplex virus (HSV) in patients with and without atopy.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort comparative study.


METHODS
Patients who presented at the Cornea Service, Wills Eye Hospital, between March 2003 and March 2004 who had been previously diagnosed in the same institution as having ocular HSV diagnosis or were just diagnosed as having the disease were asked to complete a study questionnaire that enabled categorization into atopic and nonatopic. In April 2005, 223 patients who agreed to be in the study had their charts reviewed, and 125 patients were excluded according to exclusion criteria: immunosuppression, follow-up less than one year, previous history of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) out of the Cornea Service, and no active HSV episode during follow-up.


METHODS
Incidence of all types of HSV recurrences.


METHODS
Bilaterality, visual loss, need for PK , and secondary bacterial infection in both groups. HSV episodes were classified into infectious, inflammatory, and mixed for analysis.


RESULTS
Ninety eight patients (110 eyes) were included in the study. Atopic/nonatopic (P value): the mean follow-up was 11.6 (+/- 10.6)/8.8 years (+/- 8.4) (P = .14); the mean incidence of HSV episodes per year of follow-up was: total episodes 0.32 (+/- 0.36)/0.28 (+/- 0.33) (P = .14), infectious 0.16 (+/- 0.22)/0.10 (+/- 0.14) (P < .01), inflammatory 0.11 (+/- 0.19)/0.11 (+/- 0.19) (P < .01), and mixed 0.09 (+/- 0.20)/0.07 (+/- 0.16) (P = .06); bilateral HSV was present in 9/3 patients (P = .22); the mean loss of vision was four lines of Snellen in both groups; PK was performed in 14 of 16 eyes (P = .45); secondary bacterial infection was present in two of four eyes (P = .26).


CONCLUSIONS
Atopic patients had considerably more infectious and fewer inflammatory episodes when compared with nonatopics.
Rezende
Renata A
RA
Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil. renarezende@terra.com.br
Hammersmith
Kristin
K
Bisol
Tiago
T
Lima
Ana Luisa H
AL
Webster
Guy F
GF
Freitas
Juliana F
JF
Rapuano
Christopher J
CJ
Laibson
Peter R
PR
Cohen
Elisabeth J
EJ
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000150:complications*; D015994:Incidence; D016849:Keratitis, Herpetic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000998:Antiviral Agents