Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience

Background: Conjunctivitis is characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva, encompassing through a variety of diseases, and most imparting ocular disorders. This study was done to compare the effectiveness of topical corticosteroids versus topical antihistamines in the treatment of adenoviral c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maeirah Shafique, Beenish Saleem, Samar Fatima, Hamza Akram, Nauroz Fatima, Bushra Akbar, Noureen Malik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ziauddin University 2025-07-01
Series:Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3765
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1839622294555590656
author Maeirah Shafique
Beenish Saleem
Samar Fatima
Hamza Akram
Nauroz Fatima
Bushra Akbar
Noureen Malik
author_facet Maeirah Shafique
Beenish Saleem
Samar Fatima
Hamza Akram
Nauroz Fatima
Bushra Akbar
Noureen Malik
author_sort Maeirah Shafique
collection DOAJ
description Background: Conjunctivitis is characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva, encompassing through a variety of diseases, and most imparting ocular disorders. This study was done to compare the effectiveness of topical corticosteroids versus topical antihistamines in the treatment of adenoviral conjunctivitis. Methods: This observational study was conducted at the outpatient department of ophthalmology, Combined Military Hospital, Jhelum, Pakistan, during an adenoviral outbreak from August to September 2023. A total of 196 patients presenting with clinically suspected viral conjunctivitis, and prescribed either topical steroids or antihistamines were analyzed. Non-probability, consecutive sampling technique was adopted. The demographic and clinical data collected included gender, age, duration of symptoms, and specific symptoms such as redness, discharge, and photophobia. Symptom severity was assessed at baseline and after 7 days of treatment. Data analysis was performed using IBM-SPSS Statistics, version 26.0.  Categorical data between both treatment options were compared using the chi-square test taking p-value of <0.05 as statistically significant. Results: In a total of 196 patients, 123 (62.8%) were male. The median age, and duration of symptoms were 31.00 years (15.00-45.75 years), and 1 day (1-2 days), respectively. Bilateral eye involvement was found in 105 (53.6%) patients. There were 136 (69.4%) patients who were prescribed topical steroids, whereas 60 (30.6%) were advised topical antihistamines. The steroid group was more effective in treating adenoviral conjunctivitis, with 68.4% of patients showing significant improvement in key symptoms, compared to 46.7% in the antihistamine group. Overall, steroids led to better symptom resolution and fewer ineffective cases than antihistamines (p=0.029). Conclusion: Topical corticosteroids are significantly more effective than antihistamines in treating adenoviral conjunctivitis, particularly in reducing key symptoms such as redness, discharge, and conjunctival hyperaemia.
format Article
id doaj-art-d49d5bc01b6f4b6d98a3f4ab73c40e76
institution Matheson Library
issn 2313-7371
2308-2593
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher ziauddin University
record_format Article
series Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry
spelling doaj-art-d49d5bc01b6f4b6d98a3f4ab73c40e762025-07-22T06:00:18Zengziauddin UniversityPakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry2313-73712308-25932025-07-0114310.36283/ziun-pjmd14-3/046Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center ExperienceMaeirah Shafique0Beenish Saleem1Samar Fatima2Hamza Akram3Nauroz Fatima4Bushra Akbar5Noureen Malik6Department of Ophthalmology, Combined Military Hospital, JhelumDepartment of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, PakistanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Department of Ophthalmology, Combined Military Hospital, Jhelum, PakistanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Department of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Department of Ophthalmology, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Background: Conjunctivitis is characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva, encompassing through a variety of diseases, and most imparting ocular disorders. This study was done to compare the effectiveness of topical corticosteroids versus topical antihistamines in the treatment of adenoviral conjunctivitis. Methods: This observational study was conducted at the outpatient department of ophthalmology, Combined Military Hospital, Jhelum, Pakistan, during an adenoviral outbreak from August to September 2023. A total of 196 patients presenting with clinically suspected viral conjunctivitis, and prescribed either topical steroids or antihistamines were analyzed. Non-probability, consecutive sampling technique was adopted. The demographic and clinical data collected included gender, age, duration of symptoms, and specific symptoms such as redness, discharge, and photophobia. Symptom severity was assessed at baseline and after 7 days of treatment. Data analysis was performed using IBM-SPSS Statistics, version 26.0.  Categorical data between both treatment options were compared using the chi-square test taking p-value of <0.05 as statistically significant. Results: In a total of 196 patients, 123 (62.8%) were male. The median age, and duration of symptoms were 31.00 years (15.00-45.75 years), and 1 day (1-2 days), respectively. Bilateral eye involvement was found in 105 (53.6%) patients. There were 136 (69.4%) patients who were prescribed topical steroids, whereas 60 (30.6%) were advised topical antihistamines. The steroid group was more effective in treating adenoviral conjunctivitis, with 68.4% of patients showing significant improvement in key symptoms, compared to 46.7% in the antihistamine group. Overall, steroids led to better symptom resolution and fewer ineffective cases than antihistamines (p=0.029). Conclusion: Topical corticosteroids are significantly more effective than antihistamines in treating adenoviral conjunctivitis, particularly in reducing key symptoms such as redness, discharge, and conjunctival hyperaemia. https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3765AdenovirusAntihistamineConjuctivitisPainRednessSteroid
spellingShingle Maeirah Shafique
Beenish Saleem
Samar Fatima
Hamza Akram
Nauroz Fatima
Bushra Akbar
Noureen Malik
Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry
Adenovirus
Antihistamine
Conjuctivitis
Pain
Redness
Steroid
title Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
title_full Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
title_fullStr Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
title_full_unstemmed Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
title_short Clinical Spectrum and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Adenoviral Conjunctivitis: A Single Center Experience
title_sort clinical spectrum and treatment patterns in patients with adenoviral conjunctivitis a single center experience
topic Adenovirus
Antihistamine
Conjuctivitis
Pain
Redness
Steroid
url https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3765
work_keys_str_mv AT maeirahshafique clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT beenishsaleem clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT samarfatima clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT hamzaakram clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT naurozfatima clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT bushraakbar clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience
AT noureenmalik clinicalspectrumandtreatmentpatternsinpatientswithadenoviralconjunctivitisasinglecenterexperience