Eyelash length in children and adolescents with allergic diseases

Abstract

Rationale In the past, long eyelashes were considered one of the external signs found in children with allergic diseases but this claim has never been examined in a controlled study. Therefore, we compared eyelash length between allergic and non-allergic children and adolescents. Methods The length of the longest eyelash of the right lower eyelid was measured with a caliper in two groups: 1. Children and adolescents with perennial allergic rhinitis with or without bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis (n=60). Patients with eczema of the eyelids and atopic keratoconjunctivitis and patients receiving systemic corticosteroid treatment were excluded; 2. Children and adolescents without a personal or familial history of allergic diseases who were examined for acne or for intercurrent infections (controls, n=80). In both groups, patients with other systemic diseases were excluded. Results The two groups were age- and sex-matched. The eyelashes of the allergic patients were found to be significantly longer than those of the controls: 9.43 ± 1.39 mm vs. 8.45 ± 1.30 mm (p<0.001). Eyelash length did not differ between patients with allergic rhinitis only (n=31, 9.65 ± 1.43 mm) and patients with allergic rhinitis and other allergic diseases (n=29, 9.19 ± 1.31 mm) (p=0.196), or between males (n=76, 8.98 ± 1.53 mm) and female patients (n=64, 8.73 ± 1.28 mm) of the two groups (p=0.3). Conclusions Long eyelashes may be a part of the phenotype of the allergic patient.