Prevalence and risk factors of Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis among a Ghanaian clinical cohort: A case-control study

Abstract

Background: Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) has been determined to be highly prevalent in countries within the tropical climate region. However, little evidence from studies conducted within this region has been put forward to support this claim.

Aim: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of VKC among a Ghanaian clinical cohort.

Methods: A 3-year case-control study was conducted in a tertiary eye care institution, and medical records of patients who had been diagnosed of VKC between 2018 and 2021 were reviewed.

Results: Medical records of 3800 patients were reviewed. Some $359$ cases of VKC were identified, with a population prevalence rate of $9.45\%$. Males comprised $57.1\%$ of the population with VKC, with a male-to-female ratio of $1.33:1$. The disease was more prevalent (40.8%) in children ($\le$17 years), and the overall odds of incidence decreased by 10% for a unit increase in age. Age and sex-adjusted models revealed significant positive associations between Keratoconus [aOR = 40.760, 95% CI -5.948 to 339.937], Rhinitis [cOR = 5.183, 95% CI -2.074 to 12.022] and VKC. However, the incidence of VKC was relatively less expressive among pterygium cases [cOR = 0.315, 95% CI -0.077 to 0.846].

Conclusion: VKC is highly prevalent among children and is often associated with comorbidities of atopic origin that exacerbate the impact of the disease among this vulnerable population. It is imperative that clinicians provide holistic care for children with VKC.

Keywords: Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis; pterygium; rhinitis; risk factor; sickle cell.

Figure 1

(A) Distribution of the prevalence of VKC across age and sex. (B) Age‐ and sex‐specific receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of the incidence of VKC. VKC, Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis.