Abstract
Purpose :
Allergic diseases have dramatically increased in the last decades. Ocular symptoms have been estimated to be present in 40–60% of the allergic population. It was observed that some patients have spotty hyper-pigmentation on the nasal canthi (caruncle and semilunar plica’s) during a symptom-free period. The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional observational study to evaluate the profile of patients who exhibit medial canthi pigmentation without having an ocular allergy diagnosis.
Methods :
A cross-sectional study was ran collecting data from patient records between January 2015 and January 2016 in Instituto de Olhos Minas Gerais and in Santa Casa de Sao Paulo. Fifty patients with uni or bilateral hyper-pigmentation in nasal canthi (caruncle and semilunar plica) were randomly included in this study. The following data was collected: age, sex, previous personal or family history of allergic diseases (such as bronchial asthma, sinusitis and allergic rhinitis), ocular itching score, ocular or systemic disease, and age of onset of the disease. Participants underwent an ophthalmic evaluation including anterior segment slit lamp biomicroscopy and corneal topography as well as laboratory workup for serum IgE and a prick test. Exclusions: under 14 years olds, and eye drops users.
Results :
Bilateral hyper-pigmentation on the medial canthi was observed in 41 individuals (82.0%). Patients (22 males) were 30 ± 11.3 (median, 29; range, 10-66) years old. Medical history proved positive for bronchial asthma in 13 (26.0%), sinusitis in 15 (30%) and allergic rhinitis in 38 (76%). Pruritus was present in 86% of cases. Patients graded their symptoms of itchiness as mild, (n=9) as moderate, (n=10) and (n=28) as severe. Skin tests were positive and total IgE serum levels were significantly increased in 44 patients (88.0%).
Conclusions :
Hyperpigmentation on the medial canthi appears to have at least one consistent finding related to allergic conditions, even though patients are asymptomatic. Further controlled studies in order to examine the prevalence of medial canthi hyperpigmentation in different clinical types of ocular allergies are in progress.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.