Major considerations and clinical findings on the allergic conjunctivitis: a narrative and systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is a disease of increasing prevalence, affecting children and adults, with progressive loss of quality of life. It has been reported that about 20 % of the entire human population undergoes a form of allergy. The prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) varies around the world, usually ranging from 15 to 40 %. In Japan, the prevalence of allergic diseases is the conjunctiva is estimated to be as high as 15% -20% of the population is on the rise. Objective: the present objective was to carry out a narrative and systematic review of the major clinical considerations of allergic conjunctivitis, as well as the main treatments, immunological aspects, and allergic conjunctivitis classification. Methods: The systematic review rules of the PRISMA Platform were followed. The research was carried out from May to June 2022 in Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases. Scientific articles from the last 20 years were selected. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument. The risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results: A total of 512 articles were found, and 35 articles were included in the systematic review. Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is an inflammation of the conjunctiva secondary to an immune response to foreign antigens, usually called allergens. This inflammation can be mediated or non-IgE and atopy could play a significant role in the outcome. These forms include seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis and atopic keratoconjunctivitis. Giant papillary conjunctivitis and contact or induced by dermatoconjunctivitis drugs are considered to be allergic conjunctivitis subtypes. Conclusion: It was concluded that allergic conjunctivitis is a frequent comorbid with many undiagnosed patients. Then, an additional specific questioning and a therapeutic challenge in suspected patients may help identify patients who may benefit from treatment of Allergic conjunctivitis.