Increased risk for herpetic eye disease in patients with allergic conjunctivitis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the risk of ocular surface herpetic eye disease (osHED) in allergic eye disease.


METHODS
We calculated the risk for osHED in 11,205 patients on antiallergic ocular topical agents compared with 453,069 controls based on filled prescriptions for topical acyclovir between 2001 and 2003.


RESULTS
Significantly more allergic patients, of all age groups, received treatment for osHED (p < 0.01). The age and gender adjusted relative risk for allergic patients to suffer an osHED event was 2.31 (95% CI: 1.84-2.90), raising to 3.55 (95% CI: 2.0-6.4) in patients that filled > or = 4 antiallergic prescriptions.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients treated for allergic eye disease have an increased risk of osHED.
Kaiserman
Igor
I
Department of Ophthalmology, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel. Igor@Dr-Kaiserman.com
Kaiserman
Nadia
N
Elhayany
Asher
A
Vinker
Shlomo
S
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000328:Adult; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016849:Keratitis, Herpetic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir