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Acute epidemic conjunctivitis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Acute epidemic conjunctivitis is caused by a stick of Koch-Weeks.
Acute epidemic conjunctivitis is a fairly common disease and is observed in almost all countries of the world with a hot climate. Acute epidemic conjunctivitis can manifest itself in the form of seasonal outbreaks in the summer-autumn period and take a heavy course.
Seasonality of epidemics of conjunctivitis is associated with climatic and meteorological peculiarities of hot climate countries. On the one hand, in summer, in a hot climate, the reactivity of the organism decreases and its susceptibility to infections increases. On the other hand, the intensified solar radiation associated with a hot climate, dust, winds irritate the conjunctiva, increase its susceptibility to inspections and contribute to the manifestation of the pathogenic properties of the conjunctivitis pathogen.
In our country, this disease is observed mainly in Central Asia, as well as in other regions.
It is a thin, motionless, gram-negative and non-spore wand. The optimum temperature for the development of the Koch-Wicks bacillus is +35 C; at a higher temperature, the rod dies. The Koch-Weeks wand retains its viability in tap water and distilled water for 3-6 hours; in a drop separated on the skin or matter - up to 2-3 hours.
Sources of infection are a sick person and a carrier. Infection occurs when transferring the patient from the patient to a healthy person when the rules of personal hygiene are not respected, while using common objects of personal use. A big role in the spread of diseases is attached to flies. The contamination of the area around the shelter and the associated abundance of flies (with insufficient control over them) create conditions conducive to the spread of the infection.
[Symptoms of acute epidemic conjunctivitis
Disease acute epidemic conjunctivitis covers a greater degree of children's population, especially the younger age - up to 2 years.
The disease is preceded by a short incubation period - from several hours to 1-2 days. It starts suddenly. The disease usually affects both eyes. First one gets sick, but soon another eye. Ill in the morning can not open his eyes - the eyelids glued together detachable. The eyelids become edematous, slightly hyperemic; the connective membrane is sharply hyperemic. Characteristic for epidemiological conjunctivitis are a significant swelling of the transitional folds of the conjunctiva, especially the lower one, as well as the involvement of the eyeball in the process and conjunctiva. With this disease, there are always numerous small hemorrhages under the conjunctiva.
Sharp swelling of the transitional folds and multiple hemorrhages under the conjunctiva are caused by toxic damage to the walls of small venous and lymphatic vessels.
Acute epidemic conjunctivitis is often accompanied by general malaise, fever, headache, insomnia. The disease lasts 5-6 days. Its course can be complicated by the appearance of infiltrates at the edge of the cornea, which usually resolve quickly and without a trace. In severe conjunctivitis, which is usually observed in southern countries in people suffering from other eye diseases (trachoma, scrofulous lesions, etc.), serious complications from the cornea (ulcers, melting of the cornea) can occur.
The diagnosis is based on the clinical picture and bacteriological study of conjunctival scrapings, which allows to detect long thin sticks of Koch-Weeks parasitizing in epithelial cells.
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Treatment of acute epidemic conjunctivitis
In connection with the epidemiological nature of the disease, much attention should be paid to its prevention (personal hygiene). Painful eyes should be washed several times a day with disinfectant solutions (potassium permanganate, furatsilinom). In installations, designate a 0.5% solution of neomycin every 5 minutes for the first two hours, then every 2 hours for the first 2 days, and then every 4 hours until the disappearance of purulent discharge. You can use gentamicin or tobramycin, which is prescribed topically, like levomycetin.