Xerophthalmia: a study among malnourished children of West Mednipur District
Shaw, C.; Islam, M.Nazarul.; Chakroborty, M.; Biswas, M.Chandra.; Ghosh, T.; Biswas, G.
Journal of the Indian Medical Association 103(3): 180 182-3
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5847 PMID: 16173295 Document Number: 265317
To study the correlation of stages of xerophthalmia in different grades of malnutrition, 200 children clinically diagnosed with malnutrition as per criteria laid down by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) were examined [India; date not given]. The clinical stages of xerophthalmia for each subject, as proposed by World Health Organization (WHO), were evaluated. Out of the 200 cases with different levels of malnutrition, 81 (40.5%), 78 (39.0%), 22 (11.0%) and 19 (9.5%) were found malnourished at grades I, II, III and IV, respectively. Night blindness was the earliest feature of malnutrition and was seen in 97 cases (48.5%). All the 97 cases of night blindness fell in group of XN in which one case had corneal scar. These cases were also classified as XS in the clinical staging of xerophthalmia. 39 (40.2%), 35 (36.1%), 19 (19.6%), 3 (3.1%) and 1 (1.0%) were in clinical stages of xerophthalmia of X1A, X1B, X2, X3A, and X3B, respectively. Severity of xerophthalmia was directly correlated to the severity of malnutrition.