Keratomalacia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Classification according to ICD-10
E50.4 Vitamin A deficiency with keratomalacia
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

The keratomalacia is a softening ( malacia ) with melting and clouding of the cornea of the eye that can lead to deterioration of vision through to blindness lead.

The first description comes from 1933 by LJA Loewenthal.

distribution

It is estimated that a quarter to half a million children develop keratomalacia each year with associated visual impairment.

root cause

The cause is usually a Hypovitaminosis , a lack of vitamin A due to malnutrition or undernourishment . Reduced absorption can also be caused by a measles infection or severe intestinal catarrh .

The vitamin A deficiency leads to atrophy on the surface of mucous membranes and replacement of normal epithelium with inferior cells. In addition, the substantia propria is disturbed to the point of liquefaction with the result of keratomalacia.

Less severe forms of deficiency lead to xerophthalmia .

Clinical manifestations

therapy

Treatment consists of adequate administration of vitamin A.

forecast

The mortality is estimated at up to 30-60%.

literature

  • R. Khoramnia, GU Auffarth, C. Mogler, SA Cordeiro, AF Scheuerle: Severe bilateral keratomalacia. In: Der Ophthalmologe: Journal of the German Ophthalmological Society. Volume 110, Number 1, January 2013, pp. 61-64, doi: 10.1007 / s00347-012-2706-9 , PMID 23329120 .
  • S. Munkwitz, MN Richter, NE Bechrakis, MH Foerster, J. Wachtlin: Conservative and operative treatment of bilateral keratomalacia in a patient with liver cirrhosis and esophagitis. In: Clinical monthly sheets for ophthalmology. Volume 226, Number 3, March 2009, pp. 191-192, doi: 10.1055 / s-2008-1027963 , PMID 19294592 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Entry on caratomalacia in the Flexikon , a Wiki of the DocCheck company
  2. ↑ a b c d emedicine.medscape Updated April 17, 2018
  3. ↑ LJA Loewenthal: "A cutaneous manifestation in the syndrome of vitamin-A deficiency" In: Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology, Vol. 28, p. 700
  4. ↑ Willibald Pschyrembel : Clinical Dictionary , 266th, updated edition, de Gruyter, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-11-033997-0 (keyword kaeratomalzie)

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