1. Prevalence of ocular manifestations in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
- Author
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Geisthoff UW, Hille K, Ruprecht KW, Verse T, and Plinkert PK
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Conjunctival Diseases epidemiology, Retinal Diseases epidemiology, Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic epidemiology
- Abstract
Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a systemic disorder of the fibrovascular tissue. Few data have been published on the frequency of ophthalmologic manifestations. The aim of this study was to assess this frequency., Methods: A prospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a multitude of clinical practices and in a tertiary referral center. The main outcome measure was the number of vascular malformations detected by an ophthalmologic inspection of the retina and the conjunctivae in both eyes in a random sample of patients with HHT., Results: No retinal telangiectases were observed in any of the 75 patients (150 eyes) examined. Conjunctival telangiectases were detected in 28 of 74 patients (47 of 148 eyes)., Conclusions: The prevalence of retinal telangiectases seems to be lower than 1/75 (< 1.3%). This data does not justify screening procedures to detect retinal telangiectases. Ophthalmologists should be aware of the symptoms of HHT and its systemic character.
- Published
- 2007
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