Clinical manifestation of allergic conjunctivitis in preschool children

Objective To understand the clinical manifestation of allergic conjunctivitis in preschool children. Methods Retrospective case series study was carried out in our study to observe the clinical manifestation of allergic conjunctivitis in preschool children from January 2014 to June 2015 in Beijing Children's Hospital. Results A total of 169 preschool children aged from 5 months to 6 years old were enrolled in our study. Seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC) and perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC) were the most common forms. The most common seen clinical symptoms were eye-rubbing (85.2%), itching (69.8%), nictation (69.2%), photophobia (42%), pain (33.7%), and tearing (20.7%). Meanwhile, the clinical physical signs were hyperemia (91.1%), papilla (29.6%), chemosis (12.4%), follicle (14.8%), conjunctival sac secretion (26.7%), and corneal disease (1.8%). Allergic conjunctivitis in preschool children usually associated with atopic co-morbidities and other eye diseases such as allergic rhinitis (60.9%), eczema (36.1%), asthma (3.6%), trichiasis (16.7%), lacrimal duct obstruction (8.9%), and dry eye syndrome (54.4%). Conclusion The clinical characteristic of allergic conjunctivitis in preschool children is slightly different from adults. History, eye irritation, eyerubbing and other symptoms play important roles in diagnosis.