Incidence and Clinical Characteristics of Infantile Conjunctivitis in a Western Population

Abstract

Objective: To describe the incidence and clinical characteristics of conjunctivitis in the first year of life.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Participants: All infant (≤12 months of age) residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, diagnosed with conjunctivitis from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014.

Methods: The medical records of all potential cases identified by the Rochester Epidemiology Project database were reviewed.

Main outcome measures: Incidence rate and clinical features of infantile conjunctivitis.

Results: A total of 2175 infants were diagnosed during the 10-year period, yielding an incidence of 10,422 per 100,000 children or approximately 1 in 10 infants by 1 year of age. The mean age at diagnosis was 4.9 months (range, 1 day-12 months), and 1001 (46.0%) were female. Both eyes were involved in 1180 (54.3%), the right eye alone in 506 (23.3%), and 489 (22.5%) in the left. Five hundred seventy-six (26.5%) of the 2175 were diagnosed at ≤30 days of life, from which topical cultures were obtained in 111 (19.7%). Only 36 (32.4%) of the cultures showed bacterial agents, with Chlamydia present in 3. Treatment for infantile conjunctivitis, where recorded, included topical antibiotics in 523 (90.8%) and simple observation in 47 (8.2%).

Conclusions: Conjunctivitis in the first year of life occurred in approximately 10% of infants in this population-based cohort. More than half involved both eyes, one-quarter were identified in the first 30 days of life, and sight-threatening infectious agents were rare.