Allergic Conjunctivitis, Allergic Comorbitidies and the Most Common Allergens Identified In A Group of Mexican Patients

Background: Allergic conjunctivitis is a common clinical problem in allergy and ophthalmology. The conjunctiva is an immunologically active structure of the external eye, which can have lymphoid hyperplasia in response to a stimulus. Allergic conjunctivitis is an inflammatory disease of the eye. It is a type I hypersensitivity reaction, involving the production of IgE in response to diverse stimulus related to allergens.Our objective was to determine the most frequent allergens related to the development of allergic conjunctivitis in patients attending our clinic. 

Methods: We performed a clinical, transversal, observational and descriptive study, which included 85 patients with allergic conjunctivitis who attended our hospital from March to June 2010. They all had skin prick tests, ocular and nasal cytology, total serum IgE and serum eosinophilia. We investigated their symptoms frequency and other allergic diseases.

Results: we included 85 patients, 58 (68%) female and 27 (32%) males. The most frequent allergens identified were Quercus in 47 patients (55%), alnus 41 patients (48%), fraxinus 28 patients (33%), Cynodon 21 patients (25%), Dermatophagoides pteronysinus and farinae 21patients (25%). Other allergic diagnoses were allergic rhinitis 71 patients (84%, asthma 18 patients (21%), oral allergy syndrome 5 patients (6%), atopic dermatitis 5 (6%) and urticaria 2 (2%). The most common symptoms found in our patients were pruritus (98%), conjunctival hyperemia (87%), epiphora (86%), foreign body sensation (52%) and photophobia (38%).

Conclusions: Patients with allergic conjunctivitis must be diagnosed and treated by the allergist in conjunction with an ophthalmologist. The frequency of allergic comorbidities and symptoms was similar to what is reported previously. The identified allergens in our clinic are frequent in Mexico City and correlates with the pollination season.