A 3-year retrospective review of corneal ulcers in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Abstract

Background. microbial keratitis which is also known as corneal ulcer, is a common ocular infection that can result in debilitating monocular visual impairment. identifying the prevalence and the latest trend of the causative agents will be useful in the management of corneal ulcer. Objectives. To evaluate the demographic and epidemiology factors of microbial keratitis at a tertiary hospital in a rural state of malaysia. Material and methods. This is a retrospective review with a total recruit of 137 patients who were admitted to the ophthalmology ward in hospital Universiti Sains malaysia. a retrospective review of the demographic data and results of corneal tissue sampling were documented. Results. Demographic data showed similarity to other studies where it affected most commonly in the productive age. it was also more commonly seen in male patients than in female. Bacterial keratitis (51.1%) was found to be more common than fungal keratitis (24.8%). in cases of bacterial keratitis, Pseudomonas spp. was the commonest causative agent, while in cases of fungal keratitis, Fusarium spp. was the commonest fungus microbial agent. Conclusions. With the knowledge of the demographical and epidemiological factors of microbial keratitis of a region, clinicians will be able to initiate prompt treatment at the early stages of the disease. Thus, less complications will arise from the disease and a better visual outcome provided.

Fungal Keratitis in a Tertiary Hospital in Malaysia

“…This conforms with the local sociodemographic profile in which Malay is the major ethnicity and young males are the main workforce in a largely agricultural state, including farmers, fishermen, and laborers. Our results are in line with several other local studies [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]. Koh et al found that diabetes mellitus was a common risk factor for corneal ulcer due to impaired corneal barrier function and delayed epithelial healing [ 10 ].…”

“…Local studies in other states of Malaysia with a similar background supported the findings in our study [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]. Besides that, we also discover the relevance of the abovementioned factors in the higher incidence of fungal keratitis in India and China [ 1 , 5 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Yap et al, Mohd-Tahir et al, and Chitamparam et al also demonstrated Fusarium spp. as the commonest causative organism in fungal keratitis [ 1 , 2 , 7 ].…”

“…Fungal keratitis is one of the commonest causes of corneal blindness, contributing to 24.8% of all corneal ulcer cases in Malaysia [ 1 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) found out that 4% cases of all blindness are caused by corneal opacities [ 1 ].…”

“…Fungal keratitis is one of the commonest causes of corneal blindness, contributing to 24.8% of all corneal ulcer cases in Malaysia [ 1 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) found out that 4% cases of all blindness are caused by corneal opacities [ 1 ]. Several predisposing factors were identified, including ocular trauma, prolonged use of topical steroid, underlying ocular surface disease, contact lens wear, diabetes mellitus, and immunosuppression.…”