Study warns conjunctivitis may be caused by STIs

CONJUNCTIVITIS may be caused by sexually transmitted infections (STI), a study has revealed. It urges doctors to be highly suspicious of chlamydia and gonorrhea when treating conjunctivitis in cases where there may be an underlying STI.

The annual incidence of chlamydial and gonococcal conjunctivitis among adults and infants visiting Cork University Hospital (CUH) between July 2002 and December 2006.

The study, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that the annual incidence of the adult chlamydial conjunctivitis increased in line with the incidence of genital chlamydial infection in the area.