Clinical Features of Herpes Simplex Keratitis in a Korean Tertiary Referral Center: Efficacy of Oral Antiviral and Ascorbic Acid on Recurrence.
- Author:
Gyu Nam KIM
1
;
Woong Sun YOO
;
Mi Hwa PARK
;
Jin Kwon CHUNG
;
Yong Seop HAN
;
In Young CHUNG
;
Seong Wook SEO
;
Ji Myong YOO
;
Seong Jae KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Acyclovir; Ascorbic acid; Keratitis, herpetic; Recurrence
- MeSH: Acyclovir; Ascorbic Acid*; Cohort Studies; Corneal Opacity; Herpes Simplex*; Humans; Keratitis; Keratitis, Herpetic*; Korea; Logistic Models; Male; Odds Ratio; Recurrence*; Retrospective Studies; Tertiary Care Centers*
- From:Korean Journal of Ophthalmology 2018;32(5):353-360
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: PURPOSE: To describe the clinical manifestations of herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) in a tertiary referral center in South Korea and to determine whether ascorbic acid treatment prevents recurrence of herpetic epithelial keratitis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included all consecutive patients with herpetic keratitis referred to our center from January 2010 to January 2015. Clinical features, ocular complications, and recurrences were recorded. RESULTS: In total, 149 eyes of the 133 patients (72 male and 61 female) were followed for an average of 24.6 ± 13.2 months. Sixteen (12.0%) patients had bilateral HSK. The most frequent HSK subtype was epithelial keratitis (49.7%), which was followed by stromal keratitis (23.5%). Epithelial keratitis was the most likely subtype to recur. Complications occurred in 122 (81.9%) eyes. The most common complication was corneal opacity. Recurrences were observed in 48 (32.2%) eyes. The recurrence rates were lower in the prophylactic oral antiviral agent group (16 / 48 eyes, 33.3% vs. 49 / 101 eyes, 48.5%) and the ascorbic acid treatment group (13 / 48 eyes, 27.1% vs. 81 / 101 eyes, 70.3%) compared with the groups without medications. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that both factors significantly reduced the risk of recurrence (acyclovir: odds ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence intervals, 0.12 to 0.51; ascorbic acid: odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence intervals, 0.20 to 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study described the clinical findings of HSK in a tertiary referral center in South Korea. Prophylactic oral antiviral agent treatment and oral ascorbic acid administration may lower the risk of recurrence.
