Prevalence of xerophthalmia among malnourished children in rural Ethiopia.
To assess the prevalence of eye disease among malnourished children in a rural Ethiopian health center and evaluate correlations between xerophthalmia and grades of malnutrition. A retrospective, cross-sectional survey. An institution-based cross-sectional prospective study was performed at Bushulo Health Center in rural south Ethiopia and included all children age 6 months to 14 years receiving care for malnourishment from June 1st to July 30th, 2008. Data collection involved a combination of interviews with caretakers, ocular examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist and anthropometric measurements. One hundred and seventy-three children (average age at examination 2.9 ± 0.2 years) were treated for malnutrition (97 female, 76 male). One hundred and forty-nine patients had moderate malnutrition (86.03 %) and 24 had severe malnutrition (13.9 %). The following eye diseases were diagnosed--trachoma (12.1 %), blepharitis (13.3 %) and xerophthalmia (20.8 %). Severely malnourished children were more likely to suffer from xerophthalmia than moderately malnourished children (p < 0.0001). When comparing anthropometric measurements to the diagnosis of xerophthalmia, only weight percentile showed significance (p = 0.008). Xerophthalmia is a common global cause of pediatric blindness and is highly correlated with severe malnutrition. Continued efforts are necessary to improve nutrition and outcomes in these patients.
Duke University Eye Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Daniel B
DB
Moore
Wogen
W
Shirefaw
Oren
O
Tomkins-Netzer
Zebiba
Z
Eshete
Hila
H
Netzer-Tomkins
Itay
I
Ben-Zion
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014985:Xerophthalmia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology