CLINICAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS OF ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS

MARTÍN A,; DEMEL E, GOMEZ; GAGLIARDI J,; BERRA A,; MARIANI AL,; CAGNANI CE, BAENA; DARAIO MC,; URRETS-ZAVALIA J,; URRETS-ZAVALIA E,; GALLINO N,; SERRA, HORACIO MARCELO

ESMON PUBLICIDAD S A

Año: 2003 vol. 13/4 p. 232 - 232

ummary. Background: Allergic Conjunctivitis (AC) has a high incidence in the general population and sometimes it is difficult tomake a correct diagnosis, distinguish among the different subtypes of AC, and therefore, to indicate the suitable therapy. Objective: Todetermine the best way to carry out an appropriate diagnosis of AC. Methods: Thirty-one patients with clinical manifestations of ACand eleven controls were studied by measuring allergic and immunologic parameters. Only those patients confirmed as having ACwere treated with ketotifen fumarate and further evaluated. Results: According to allergic and immunological parameters, patients weredivided into two groups. Group I patients had positive prick test toward at least one allergen, 60% exhibited high levels of tear-IgE,and only 36% conjunctival eosinophils. By contrast, patients from Group II had negative prick tests and laboratory findings similar tothe control group. In Group I there