TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical features of 26 cases of COVID-19-associated conjunctivitis
AU - Tajima, Asahi
AU - Sassa, Yukio
AU - Ishio, Daiki
AU - Yamashita, Shota
AU - Sadashima, Eiji
AU - Arai, Rikki
AU - Iwanaga, Kentaro
AU - Yoshida, Shigeo
AU - Sonoda, Koh Hei
AU - Enaida, Hiroshi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Japanese Ophthalmological Society.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - Purpose: To explore the clinical features of COVID-19-associated conjunctivitis with the objective of preventing the spread of infection. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: From March 2020 to March 2021, we retrospectively reviewed 26 (9.8%) consecutive COVID-19 patients with conjunctivitis among 282 COVID-19 cases admitted to our hospital. Clinical symptoms, onset date of conjunctivitis, time to patient recovery, and eye drop intervention were investigated. In addition, risk factors for developing conjunctivitis were statistically examined among 206 inpatients available for within 5 days of the onset. A multivariate analysis of conjunctivitis risk factors was performed. Results: Among the 282 COVID-19 patients, 4 (1.4%) had conjunctival hyperemia as the primary symptom. The median time of onset was 4 days after the COVID-19 onset. Hyperemia was observed in all cases, but other ocular symptoms were rare. The median duration of hyperemia was 3 days. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a young age (p=0.005) and current smoking habit (p=0.027) were independent risk factors for conjunctivitis after COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19-associated conjunctivitis is rare in the elderly and strongly associated with a history of smoking. It often occurs in the early stages of infection, and while hyperemia is recognized as a clinical symptom, other ocular symptoms are rare or non-existent. Many cases recover within a short time.
AB - Purpose: To explore the clinical features of COVID-19-associated conjunctivitis with the objective of preventing the spread of infection. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: From March 2020 to March 2021, we retrospectively reviewed 26 (9.8%) consecutive COVID-19 patients with conjunctivitis among 282 COVID-19 cases admitted to our hospital. Clinical symptoms, onset date of conjunctivitis, time to patient recovery, and eye drop intervention were investigated. In addition, risk factors for developing conjunctivitis were statistically examined among 206 inpatients available for within 5 days of the onset. A multivariate analysis of conjunctivitis risk factors was performed. Results: Among the 282 COVID-19 patients, 4 (1.4%) had conjunctival hyperemia as the primary symptom. The median time of onset was 4 days after the COVID-19 onset. Hyperemia was observed in all cases, but other ocular symptoms were rare. The median duration of hyperemia was 3 days. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a young age (p=0.005) and current smoking habit (p=0.027) were independent risk factors for conjunctivitis after COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19-associated conjunctivitis is rare in the elderly and strongly associated with a history of smoking. It often occurs in the early stages of infection, and while hyperemia is recognized as a clinical symptom, other ocular symptoms are rare or non-existent. Many cases recover within a short time.
KW - Acute conjunctivitis
KW - COVID-19
KW - Clinical features
KW - Smoking
KW - Younger age
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U2 - 10.1007/s10384-023-01033-3
DO - 10.1007/s10384-023-01033-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 38017339
AN - SCOPUS:85177817910
SN - 0021-5155
VL - 68
SP - 57
EP - 63
JO - Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology
JF - Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology
IS - 1
ER -