Seasonal Variation in Acute Dacriocystitis

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether there is a seasonal relationship between the emergence of acute dacryocystitis.Methods: The files of patients who applied to the ophthalmology outpatient clinic with complaints of tearing and discharge for five years and were diagnosed with acute dacryocystitis were retrospectively analyzed. Age, gender, date of occurrence of the complaints, and date of diagnosis of acute dacryocystitis were recorded. To determine the seasonal relationship, the data regarding the number of cases who applied every month of the year were analyzed statistically by Rayleigh test.Results: The mean age of 60 patients (45 females, 15 males) included in the study was 54.70 +/- 16.80 years. It was found that all patients were not equally likely to be admitted to the hospital and the onset of their complaints throughout the months of the year (p<0.05). The frequency of applications was higher between May and August.Conclusion: There appears to be a seasonal relationship with the timing of acute dacryocystitis. In our series, more acute dacryocystitis cases were encountered during the first spring-summer months. The reason for the increase in acute dacryocystitis cases in the hot seasons of the year may be the increase in infectious agents in these seasons.