Atopic Disease and Herpes Simplex Eye Disease: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

• Published in: American journal of ophthalmology Vol. 142; no. 5; pp. 745 - 749.e2
• Main Authors: Prabriputaloong, Tisha, Margolis, Todd P., Lietman, Thomas M., Wong, Ira G., Mather, Rookaya, Gritz, David C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-11-2006; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Allergies; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Children & youth; Dermatitis; Eczema; Emergency medical care; Female; Health Maintenance Organizations - statistics & numerical data; Hospitals; Human viral diseases; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate - complications; Hypersensitivity, Immediate - epidemiology; Infectious diseases; Keratitis, Herpetic - epidemiology; Keratitis, Herpetic - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Odds Ratio; Ophthalmology; Population Groups; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Viral diseases; Viral diseases with cutaneous or mucosal lesions and viral diseases of the eye; Infection; Allergy; Immunopathology; Eye disease; Disease; Viral disease; Herpes; Case control study; Ophthalmology; Atopy
• ISSN: 0002-9394; 1879-1891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2006.06.050

To determine whether atopy is associated with herpes simplex virus (HSV) ocular disease.
Retrospective, population-based, case-control study.
setting:
Large, regional health maintenance organization (Northern California Kaiser Permanente).
study Population:
1,042,351 people over a one-year period.
observation Procedures:
Electronic database search for HSV ocular disease and subsequent chart review determined study eligibility. Two age-matched control groups (one population-based and one clinic-based) were randomly chosen. Medical record review determined the presence of atopy. Severe atopic disease was defined by diagnostic code or illness requiring an emergency room visit, hospitalization, or treatment with a systemic corticosteroid.
main Outcome Measures:
Presence of HSV eye disease, presence of atopy, and characterization of atopy severity.
HSV eye disease was found in 172 patients. HSV cases had a greater prevalence of atopy (34%, 58/172) than the clinic-based (25%, 43/172) or the population-based controls (21%, 36/172, odds ratio (OR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9 to 2.6 and OR 1.9, 95%, CI 1.1 to 3.3, respectively). The association of HSV ocular disease with severe atopy was even greater, with a history of severe atopic disease in 13% (22/172) of patients with HSV ocular disease as compared with 6% (11/172) of patients in the clinic control group and 3% (5/172) of patients in the population control group (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.7 to 5.9 and OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.6 to 19.2, respectively).
Patients with HSV ocular disease are more likely to have a history of atopic disease, especially severe atopic disease, than age-matched controls.