{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T02:18:42Z","timestamp":1776997122156,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is an allergic eye disease and an important cause of hospital referral among children in Africa and Asia. Hospital-based studies have suggested a role for parasites in its pathogenesis. To determine the prevalence and risk factors for VKC in Central Africa, we conducted a nested population-based case control study in Rwanda, involving randomly selected primary schools from different environments (rural\/urban) and climate. A prevalence of VKC of 4.0% (95% confidence interval 3.3\u20134.7%) was found among 3,041 children studied (participation rate 94.7%). The intestinal parasitic burden was not related to VKC. Besides hot dry climate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.5, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.05) and male gender (OR = 1.7, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.005), multivariate analysis identified higher economic status as a risk for VKC (OR = 1.4, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.005). The effect on VKC of higher economic status appears not to act through differences in parasitic intestinal load.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.2011.11-0291","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,5]],"date-time":"2011-10-05T23:30:06Z","timestamp":1317857406000},"page":"711-717","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":47,"title":["Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis in School Children in Rwanda and Its Association with Socio-Economic Status: A Population-Based Survey"],"prefix":"10.4269","volume":"85","author":[{"given":"Stefan De","family":"Smedt","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Nkurikiye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yannick","family":"Fonteyne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arjan","family":"Hogewoning","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marjan Van","family":"Esbroeck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dirk De","family":"Bacquer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Tuft","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Clare","family":"Gilbert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joris","family":"Delanghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Philippe","family":"Kestelyn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2795","reference":[{"key":"R1","series-title":"Can J Ophthalmol","first-page":"88","article-title":"Ocular complications of vernal keratoconjunctivitis","volume":"34","author":"Tabbara","year":"1999"},{"key":"R2","series-title":"Ophthalmology","first-page":"985","article-title":"Shield ulcers and plaques of the cornea in vernal keratoconjunctivitis","volume":"102","author":"Cameron","year":"1995"},{"key":"R3","series-title":"Br J Ophthalmol","first-page":"688","article-title":"Vernal keratoconjunctivitis in the black child and its response to therapy","volume":"67","author":"Dahan","year":"1983"},{"key":"R4","series-title":"Am J Ophthalmol","first-page":"278","article-title":"Cyclosporine eye drops for the treatment of severe vernal keratoconjunctivitis","volume":"101","author":"BenEzra","year":"1986"},{"key":"R5","series-title":"Bull Soc Belge Ophtalmol","first-page":"9","article-title":"Tropical endemic limbo-conjunctivitis in L\u00fabumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo","volume":"290","author":"Chenge","year":"2003"},{"key":"R6","series-title":"Rev Int Trach Pathol Ocul Trop Subtrop","first-page":"71","article-title":"Tropical endemic limboconjunctivitis","volume":"53","author":"Diallo","year":"1976"},{"key":"R7","series-title":"Pakistan J Ophthalmol","first-page":"111","article-title":"A study of 530 cases of vernal conjunctivitis from the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan","volume":"2","author":"Khan","year":"1986"},{"key":"R8","series-title":"Rev Int Trach","first-page":"53","article-title":"Limbal vernal conjunctivitis in the tropics","volume":"3-4","author":"Resnikoff","year":"1988"},{"key":"R9","series-title":"Ophthalmology","first-page":"1157","article-title":"Vernal keratoconjunctivitis revisited. 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