ascorbic-acid and Keratitis--Herpetic

To describe the clinical manifestations of herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) in a tertiary referral center in South Korea and to determine whether ascorbic acid treatment prevents recurrence of herpetic epithelial keratitis.. This retrospective cohort study included all consecutive patients with herpetic keratitis referred to our center from January 2010 to January 2015. Clinical features, ocular complications, and recurrences were recorded.. In total, 149 eyes of the 133 patients (72 male and 61 female) were followed for an average of 24.6 ± 13.2 months. Sixteen (12.0%) patients had bilateral HSK. The most frequent HSK subtype was epithelial keratitis (49.7%), which was followed by stromal keratitis (23.5%). Epithelial keratitis was the most likely subtype to recur. Complications occurred in 122 (81.9%) eyes. The most common complication was corneal opacity. Recurrences were observed in 48 (32.2%) eyes. The recurrence rates were lower in the prophylactic oral antiviral agent group (16 / 48 eyes, 33.3% vs. 49 / 101 eyes, 48.5%) and the ascorbic acid treatment group (13 / 48 eyes, 27.1% vs. 81 / 101 eyes, 70.3%) compared with the groups without medications. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that both factors significantly reduced the risk of recurrence (acyclovir: odds ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence intervals, 0.12 to 0.51; ascorbic acid: odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence intervals, 0.20 to 0.91).. This retrospective study described the clinical findings of HSK in a tertiary referral center in South Korea. Prophylactic oral antiviral agent treatment and oral ascorbic acid administration may lower the risk of recurrence.

Topics: Acyclovir; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antioxidants; Antiviral Agents; Ascorbic Acid; Drug Therapy, Combination; Eye Infections, Viral; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Keratitis, Herpetic; Male; Middle Aged; Ophthalmoscopy; Recurrence; Republic of Korea; Retrospective Studies; Slit Lamp; Tertiary Care Centers; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Visual Acuity; Young Adult

Ocular infection with HSV causes a chronic T cell-mediated inflammatory lesion in the cornea. Lesion severity is affected by the balance of different CD4 T cell subsets, with greater severity occurring when the activity of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is compromised. In this study, fate-mapping mice were used to assess the stability of Treg function in ocular lesions. We show that cells that were once Foxp3

Topics: Adoptive Transfer; Animals; Ascorbic Acid; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Differentiation; Cell Plasticity; Cornea; Female; Forkhead Transcription Factors; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Homeodomain Proteins; Interleukin-12; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; Keratitis, Herpetic; Lymphocyte Activation; Mice; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Th1 Cells; Tretinoin

The activities of antioxidant enzymes in the cornea and tears in patients with ophthalmic herpes and in the saliva in those with herpetic stomatitis were assessed. Impaired inhibition of hydroxy radical and a drop of antioxidant enzymes activities and of the level of ascorbic acid in herpes-infected cornea and tears are factors in the pathogenesis of ophthalmic herpes. Measurements of enzymatic activities in the tears and saliva in herpetic infection are a valuable diagnostic test and a criterion of treatment efficacy.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Animals; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Catalase; Child; Cornea; Glutathione Peroxidase; Glutathione Reductase; Humans; Keratitis, Herpetic; Middle Aged; Peroxidases; Rabbits; Saliva; Spectrophotometry; Stomatitis, Herpetic; Superoxide Dismutase; Tears

Twenty-two cases 23 eyes with obstinate stromal keratitis treated by combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicines are reported in this paper. According to clinical manifestations, they are consistent with the clinical diagnosis of stromal herpes simplex keratitis. Since no specific Western medicine is known to be effective in treating this disorder, it is proposed to apply systemic and topical TCM and, if necessary, add beta-ray irradiation to shorten the clinical course of disease, decrease or prevent recurrence and maintain useful visual acuity, avoiding frequent relapses leading to blindness.

Topics: Acyclovir; Adolescent; Adult; Ascorbic Acid; Beta Particles; Combined Modality Therapy; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Female; Humans; Keratitis, Herpetic; Male; Middle Aged

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Herpes Zoster; Humans; Keratitis; Keratitis, Herpetic; Vitamins