inclusion conjunctivitis

Etiology

• Chlamydia trachomatis

Epidemiology

• sexually active young adults

History

• sexual activity
• previous sexually transmitted disease

Clinical manifestations

• chronic indolent conjunctivitis
• acute or subacute in onset
• ocular irritation
• foreign body sensation
• lacrimation
• mucopurulent discharge
• sticking of the lids
• often unilateral
• red eye
• eyelid edema or chemosis
• pre-auricular lymphadenopathy
• corneal subepithelial infiltrates
• mild superficial keratitis
• conjunctival follicles
• urethritis, cervicitis, vaginitis, dysuria

Laboratory

• Genprobe for GC/chlamydia

Complications

• corneal neovascularization &/or conjunctival scaring
• conjunctival follicles or corneal infiltrates may persist for months

Differential diagnosis

• Mycobacterium genitalium (urethritis in men)
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
  • hyperacute conjunctivitis, mucopurulent discharge, ophthalmologic emergency

Management

• combined topical & systemic antibiotics are necessary
  • doxycycline or tetracycline
  • azythromycin (pregant)
• treat sexual contact
• prognosis: signs & symptoms usually improve over 2-4 weeks

More general terms

• conjunctivitis
• eye infection (ocular infection)
• bacterial infection