A 12-Year Retrospective Analysis Of Fungal Keratitis In A Tertiary Care Hospital – Predicting Risk Factors And Ocular Complications.
Published 2023 - 41st Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PP06.11 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/hyb2-xr81
Authors: Ana Rita Teixeira Marinho Martins* 1 , Ana Gama-Castro 1 , Inês Coelho-Costa 1 , Margarida Ribeiro 1 , Ana Maria Cunha 1 , Pedro Neves-Cardoso 1 , Luís Torrão 1 , Raul Moreira 1 , Fernando Falcão-Reis 1 , Dolores Pinheiro 2 , João Pinheiro-Costa 1
1Ophthalmology,Centro Hospitalar Universitário do São João,Porto,Portugal, 2Laboratory of Microbiology, Service of Clinical Pathology,Centro Hospitalar Universitário do São João,Porto,Portugal
Purpose
To ascertain the microbiological characteristics, risk factors, treatment approaches, and rates of surgical intervention for fungal keratitis in a tertiary referral center.
Setting
Department of Ophthalmology in Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de São João, a tertiary referral medical facility situated in Porto, Portugal
Methods
A retrospective study of record medical data from hospitalized patients treated from January 2009 until December of 2021
Results
Our study consisted of 53 patients (54,7% over 65 years old; 43,4% male).The fungal cultures isolated filamentous fungi in 25% and yeast in 28%.Candida spp (50,9%) and Fusarium spp (18,9%) were the predominant isolated species.Among the risk factors, the most significant were contact lens user (47.2%) and prior use of topical corticotherapy (45,3%).The average time between symptoms onset and starting empirical treatment was 12 days. Regarding the topical antifungals, the most used were voriconazol (22,6%) and amphotericin B (18,9%). 29 patients required keratoplasty surgery. Ocular complication included evisceration in 13 patients and endophthalmitis in 5.No statistically significant changes at BCVA were observed after treatment (p=0,599).
Conclusions
Risk factors are frequently observed in the majority of patients with fungal keratitis. Our study underscores the diverse clinical manifestations associated with this pathology and the challenges of managing ocular complications. Additional samples are needed to validate these results and improve patient outcomes.