
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Allergic conjunctivitis epidemiology and demographics
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Allergic conjunctivitis exhibits distinct epidemiological and demographic characteristics based on the populations studied and the presence of comorbid conditions. Females are more affected and children often have other co-existent allergic diseases. Intermittent episodes are common, with the chronic forms more encountered in clinical practice.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Epidemiology and Demographics
- A prevalence of 15-20% is seen in studies performed on older population, but more recent studies estimate rates as high as 40%[1].
- The age-sex adjusted prevalence was as high as 70.5% in a study conducted in Saudi Arabia, which did not show any variation of risk of the disease with age group. However, females were affected more frequently than males[2].
- Most children with allergic conjunctivitis also suffer from allergic rhinitis. Ocular allergies may even supersede the primary complaints of nasal congestion[1].
- Although seasonal allergic conjunctivitis is the most frequent form, the chronic forms, such as vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis, are the ones more commonly encountered by ophthalmologists[3].
- Most of the patients with allergic conjunctivitis suffer few mild ,intermittent episodes on an annual basis. However, 30% of patients experience intense and persistent symptoms[3].
- Treatment is frequently inappropriate[3].
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rosario N, Bielory L (2011). “Epidemiology of allergic conjunctivitis”. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 11 (5): 471–6. doi:10.1097/ACI.0b013e32834a9676. PMID 21785348.
- ↑ Alqurashi KA, Bamahfouz AY, Almasoudi BM (2020). “Prevalence and causative agents of allergic conjunctivitis and its determinants in adult citizens of Western Saudi Arabia: A survey”. Oman J Ophthalmol. 13 (1): 29–33. doi:10.4103/ojo.OJO_31_2019. PMC 7050458 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 32174737 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Leonardi A, Castegnaro A, Valerio AL, Lazzarini D (2015). “Epidemiology of allergic conjunctivitis: clinical appearance and treatment patterns in a population-based study”. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 15 (5): 482–8. doi:10.1097/ACI.0000000000000204. PMID 26258920.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujaya Chattopadhyay, M.D.[2]
