Risk Factors For Xerophthalmia

The word xerophthalmia comes from the Ancient Greek and means, quite literally, dry eye. It is a medical state wherein the eye is failing to produce tears. While xerophthalmia can have vitamin A deficiency at its heart and is occasionally used in the description of that condition, the fact of the matter is there can be a variety of other causes. When it is caused by a severe lack of vitamin A, xerophthalmia consists of pathologic dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva. This latter becomes wrinkled, dry, and thick. If left untreated, this condition can lead ultimately to blindness with corneal ulceration along the way. Discover the risk factors for xerophthalmia now.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis largely affects the lungs, but can also impact the pancreas, kidneys, liver, and intestine. It is a genetic disorder with long-term issues including frequent lung infections, difficulty breathing, and coughing up mucus. Other symptoms include poor growth, sinus infections, fatty stool, male infertility, and clubbing of the toes and fingers. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and is diagnosed by genetic testing and a sweat test. Cystic fibrosis has no known cure. It has been known to present with a severe deficiency in vitamin A due to the combined malabsorption of the vitamin, poor compliance with dietary instructions, and probable inefficiency of metabolism of that particular vitamin in the liver. In such cases, cystic fibrosis presents with severe xerophthalmia; it necessitates the intramuscular administration of vitamin A to treat it.

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Thyroid Cancer Treatment

Cancer of the thyroid strikes in the thyroid's cells, which make up the gland shaped like a butterfly just below the Adam's apple. This gland is responsible for the production of hormones known to regulate blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and body temperature. Although this cancer is not particularly common in the United States, its rates appear to be increasing. This could be because of the improvement of technology permitting doctors to see smaller cancers that were not able to be detected in the past. Most cases can be cured with treatment. Thyroid cancer treatment consists of radioactive iodine therapy, however, can result in a lower rate of a patient's capacity for the absorption of vitamin A. Xerophthalmia can often follow.

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Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is the name for the poor liver function and severe liver scarring seen at chronic liver disease's terminal stages. The scarring is generally frequently caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections. Located in the upper right of an individual's abdomen below the ribs, the liver processes many essential bodily functions. Some of these are the creation of proteins to clot blood, purification of blood by the removal of toxins such as bacteria and alcohol from the system, storage of sugar and vitamins for the body's later use, and production of bile. Bile works to help the body absorb such substances as cholesterol, dietary fats, and vitamins A, D and E, and K. Cirrhosis, according to the National Institutes of Health, is the twelfth leading cause of disease-caused death in the United States. Along with its other complications, cirrhosis often carries with it alcohol-induced malnutrition, which the ocular manifestations of xerophthalmia are secondary to.

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Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a genetic immune disease in which patients cannot eat gluten because of the damage it will do to the small intestine. Individuals who have celiac disease and eat gluten discover their immune systems respond by damage to the small intestine. Gluten is found in rye, wheat, and barley. Beyond baked goods, it may also be present in other products like products for the hair and skin, toothpaste, lip balms, and vitamins and supplements. This disease affects various individuals differently. Symptoms may strike in the digestive system or in other body parts. One patient might experience diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another may present with irritability and depression. Some celiac disease patients have no symptoms whatsoever. This disease may strike the vision because of the complications it produces in absorbing vitamin A, leading to xerophthalmia, or the autoimmune attack known as Sjögren's syndrome.

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Chronic Diarrhea

Defined as loose stools that occur for a minimum of four weeks, and generally implies three or four or more loose stools a day, chronic diarrhea can result in substantial impacts on the quality of overall health, and life in general. At its gentlest, diarrhea is inconvenient; while at its worst, it can disable or even threaten the lives of its sufferers. Effective treatments are fortunately available, depending on the cause of the condition. This could be due to irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, infections, endocrine disorders, food sensitivity or allergies, and medicinal side effects or side effects of dietary supplements and herbs. Chronic diarrhea interrupts the chain of digestion and limits the amount of vitamin A the body can absorb before food intake is rushed through to a mistimed exit. In this case, xerophthalmia is known as nutritional blindness.