Pathogenesis of allergic conjunctivitis and trends in its treatment

Hyungbin Hwang

doi:10.5124/jkma.2017.60.3.251

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Hwang: Pathogenesis of allergic conjunctivitis and trends in its treatment

Pharmacotherapeutics

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2017; 60(3): 251-256.

Published online: 23 March 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2017.60.3.251

Pathogenesis of allergic conjunctivitis and trends in its treatment

Hyungbin Hwang, MD

Department of Ophthalmology, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.

Corresponding author: Hyungbin Hwang. leoanzel@catholic.ac.kr

Received 31 January 2017 Accepted 16 February 2017

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by specific immunologic responses known as type 1 hypersensitivity, resulting in corneal and conjunctival inflammation. Histamine plays an important role in the pathophysiologic mechanism of allergic conjunctivitis. Five subtypes of allergic conjunctivitis have been defined according to specific signs and symptoms: seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, perennial allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, atopic keratoconjunctivitis and giant papillary conjunctivitis. Above all, avoidance of the offending antigen is the primary behavioral modification used to treat all types of allergic conjunctivitis. However, this may be difficult for practical reasons; therefore, a range of medical treatment options, such as topical antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroids are prescribed in clinical practice.

Keywords: Conjunctivitis, allergic, Type 1 hypersensitivity, Histamine

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Horner-Trantas dot in vernal keratoconjuntivitis.

Figure 2

Corneal shield ulcer in vernal keratoconjuntivitis.

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ORCID iDs: Hyungbin Hwang
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3146-4890
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