Trachoma

The infectious disease of a conjunctiva of eyes caused by microscopic intracellular parasites of Chlamydia trachomatis received the name trachoma. The activator is very changeable, he shows properties inherent in both viruses and bacteria.

Not right after opening of chlamydias the interrelation between damage of a mucous membrane of eyes and presence of a parasite at a human body was found out. But researches showed that the chlamydia is responsible for development of trachoma at which there is a damage of mucous membranes and a cornea. The disease leads to cicatricial changes not only in a conjunctiva, but also in cartilaginous tissue that in turn leads to a total blindness.

Source of an infection is the sick person with an active form of a disease, but the greatest danger in respect of infection is represented by patients with the erased and atypical forms of trachoma, and also trachoma virus carriers. The disease is transmitted in the contact and household way at contact with the objects contaminated by tears or separated from eyes.

Trachoma can develop regardless of age and a floor, but most often the disease affects children and women. Now the disease is eurysynusic in the countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, in other states meets in the form of isolated cases.

Trachoma symptoms

From the moment of infection and before emergence of the first symptoms of a disease there pass from 7 to 16 days. But in most cases first trachoma proceeds asymptomatically. The disease is found during performing usual routine inspections. Sometimes at patients the following symptoms of trachoma are observed: feeling of sand in eyes, a scanty discharge of mucopurulent character, burning sensation, increased fatigue of eyes. At the acute beginning of trachoma symptoms are similar to acute conjunctivitis at which puffiness appears a century, a hyperemia of mucous membranes of eyes, a photophobia, and also the quantity of purulent separated increases.

In process of implementation of a virus of trachoma at first there is a roughness of a mucous membrane of an eye, then there is a thickening of a cartilage and the specific ptosis develops. The sick person has eyelids always of a priotpushchena, the person takes a sleepy form.

One of symptoms of trachoma is education around follicles of capsules in which there is an activator. Within long years the virus of trachoma can not show activities, but at confluence of favorable circumstances integrity of the capsule is broken and there is a palindromia.

Trachoma stages

In a classical look trachoma proceeds as follows: at first there is a suspicion of this disease, then prefollikulyarny trachoma when there is a hyperemia of mucous membranes of an eye develops, but follicles were not formed yet, four stages actually of trachoma follow further.

1 stage – a conjunctiva edematous and hyperemic, on it the increased nipples and follicles clearly are visible.

2 stage – against the background of sharply expressed inflammation follicles merge, disintegration of some of them becomes swept up. Formation of hems begins. At this stage of trachoma a virus – the most active, the patient is infectious for people around.

3 stage – an inflammation begin to decline, follicles is formed less, scarring process begins to prevail. But quite often in this stage there is an exacerbation of a disease.

4 stage – the patient recover. Signs of an inflammation are absent, on a conjunctiva a century there are numerous hems.

Trachoma complications

Trachoma constitutes danger not so much disease, how many development of complications. Part of them is provoked by cicatricial changes, for example, an eyeglobe union with a conjunctiva, torsion a century, a syndrome of a dry eye.

At accession of consecutive infection of a virus or bacterial etiology the inflammatory phenomena in the lacrimal channels and a conjunctiva with development of such diseases as a dacryocystitis, a dacryadenitis, acute and chronic conjunctivitis are observed.

But the heaviest complication at trachoma is a helcoma which can be followed by a perforation, inflammatory process in fabrics of an eyeglobe and an iris of the eye.

As a rule, complications arise at the wrong treatment of trachoma, insufficient volume of medicinal therapy or not finished course of administration of drugs.

Treatment of trachoma

The single case does not constitute special danger to organs of sight therefore treatment of trachoma usually – local. One-two weeks later after an initiation of treatment if necessary follicles open under local anesthesia.

To the patient ointments and solutions which part antibiotics (Oletetrinum, erythromycin, tetracycline), streptocides (Etazolum) or Sulfapyridazinum of sodium are are appointed. Medicines it is necessary to put or drip in a conjunctival sac or to drip from three to six times a day. The full course of treatment of trachoma can last before half a year.

If disease drags on or signs of accession of consecutive infection appear, then in these cases antibiotics in the form of injections and streptocides in the tableted form are appointed. As additional treatment of trachoma vitamins, immunomodulators, antihistamines are used. At deformation a century and other complications of trachoma treatment operational.

The correct and timely begun treatment of trachoma allows to avoid development of complications and the subsequent repetitions of a disease. In general the forecast at trachoma – favorable.