tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Med Princ Pract
. 2022 Jan 5.
doi: 10.1159/000521808. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 AND THE HUMAN EYE - CONJUNCTIVITIS A LONE COVID-19 FINDING - A case-control study
Valeria Mocanu, Dharmesh Bhagwani, Abhinav Sharma, Claudia Borza, Ciprian Ilie Rosca, Morariu Stelian, Shalini Bhagwani, Laura Marusiac Haidar, Lajwanti Kshtriya, Nilima Rajpal Kundnani, Florin-Raul Horhat, Raluca Horhat
Abstract
Background: The worldwide sudden appearance and drastic increase in the number of infected cases with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) determined the World Health Organization to declare it as a pandemic situation. The 'Corona Virus Disease 2019' (COVID-19) has varied clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic to severe cases, and conjunctivitis, seems not only to be one of them, but sometimes found to be lone initial symptom present.
Aim and method: The aim was to identify the prevalence of conjunctivitis as the first symptom in COVID-19 patients, in a primary healthcare unit. A retrospective study was conducted analyzing the presenting complains/symptoms and results of COVID-19 confirmatory tests.
Results: Out of the 672 cases that were sent for RT-PCR testing only 121 (18%) were found to be positive. Among this 2.67% of patients who had both conjunctivitis and COVID-19, 77.77% of patients had unilateral eye affected while 22.22% had bilateral conjunctivitis of varying degrees. 15 patients diagnosed to have both acute conjunctivitis and COVID-19, presented other symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection. While 3 patients had only acute conjunctivitis during their entire course of COVID-19.
Conclusions: Conjunctivitis is a symptom of COVID-19 and maybe the first sign of the infection, until the onset of the classical manifestations, the patient serves to be a viral reservoir. The physicians should not miss unilateral conjunctivitis, as it can be the only presenting complain of the COVID-19 disease at the initial phase, which might worsen if underwent undetected and can aid in the spread of the contagion.
. 2022 Jan 5.
doi: 10.1159/000521808. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 AND THE HUMAN EYE - CONJUNCTIVITIS A LONE COVID-19 FINDING - A case-control study
Valeria Mocanu, Dharmesh Bhagwani, Abhinav Sharma, Claudia Borza, Ciprian Ilie Rosca, Morariu Stelian, Shalini Bhagwani, Laura Marusiac Haidar, Lajwanti Kshtriya, Nilima Rajpal Kundnani, Florin-Raul Horhat, Raluca Horhat
- PMID: 34986482
- DOI: 10.1159/000521808
Abstract
Background: The worldwide sudden appearance and drastic increase in the number of infected cases with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) determined the World Health Organization to declare it as a pandemic situation. The 'Corona Virus Disease 2019' (COVID-19) has varied clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic to severe cases, and conjunctivitis, seems not only to be one of them, but sometimes found to be lone initial symptom present.
Aim and method: The aim was to identify the prevalence of conjunctivitis as the first symptom in COVID-19 patients, in a primary healthcare unit. A retrospective study was conducted analyzing the presenting complains/symptoms and results of COVID-19 confirmatory tests.
Results: Out of the 672 cases that were sent for RT-PCR testing only 121 (18%) were found to be positive. Among this 2.67% of patients who had both conjunctivitis and COVID-19, 77.77% of patients had unilateral eye affected while 22.22% had bilateral conjunctivitis of varying degrees. 15 patients diagnosed to have both acute conjunctivitis and COVID-19, presented other symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection. While 3 patients had only acute conjunctivitis during their entire course of COVID-19.
Conclusions: Conjunctivitis is a symptom of COVID-19 and maybe the first sign of the infection, until the onset of the classical manifestations, the patient serves to be a viral reservoir. The physicians should not miss unilateral conjunctivitis, as it can be the only presenting complain of the COVID-19 disease at the initial phase, which might worsen if underwent undetected and can aid in the spread of the contagion.