PMID- 18721324
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20080924
LR  - 20211020
IS  - 1365-2249 (Electronic)
IS  - 0009-9104 (Print)
IS  - 0009-9104 (Linking)
VI  - 153 Suppl 1
IP  - Suppl 1
DP  - 2008 Sep
TI  - Allergy and the eye.
PG  - 17-21
LID - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03716.x [doi]
AB  - The eye represents an ideal and frequent site for the allergic reactions. The 
      term 'allergic conjunctivitis' refers to a collection of disorders that affect 
      the lid, conjunctiva and/or cornea. Even though the diagnosis is essentially 
      clinical, local tests such as cytology, conjunctival provocation and tear 
      mediator analysis can be performed. The immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated mechanism 
      does not explain completely the severity and the clinical course of chronic 
      allergic ocular diseases such as vernal (VKC) and atopic keratoconjunctivitis 
      (AKC), which are probably also related to T cell-mediated responses, massive 
      eosinophil attraction and activation and non-specific hypersensitivity. An 
      altered balance between T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells and between Th1- and 
      Th2-types of cytokines is thought to be responsible of the development of ocular 
      allergic disorders. New findings suggest that a wide range of cytokines, 
      chemokines, proteases and growth factors are involved by complex interwoven 
      interactions rather than distinct and parallel pathways. In addition, several 
      non-specific enzymatic systems may be activated during acute and chronic allergic 
      inflammation, thus contributing to the complex pathogenesis of the disease. 
      Current drug treatment for ocular allergy targets the key mechanisms involved in 
      the development of clinical disease: mast cells with mast cell stabilizers, 
      histamine with histamine receptor antagonists and inflammation with 
      corticosteroids, severe inflammation with immunomodulators. None of these agents 
      lacks side effects and none abolishes signs and symptoms completely. New 
      therapeutic strategies are still needed to respond to the complex pathogenesis of 
      severe forms of ocular allergy such as VKC and AKC.
FAU - Leonardi, A
AU  - Leonardi A
AD  - Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, 
      Italy. andrea.leonardi@unipd.it
FAU - Motterle, L
AU  - Motterle L
FAU - Bortolotti, M
AU  - Bortolotti M
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
PL  - England
TA  - Clin Exp Immunol
JT  - Clinical and experimental immunology
JID - 0057202
RN  - 0 (Anti-Inflammatory Agents)
RN  - 0 (Cytokines)
RN  - 0 (Inflammation Mediators)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use
MH  - Conjunctivitis, Allergic/drug therapy/*immunology
MH  - Cytokines/immunology
MH  - Eye/*immunology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hypersensitivity/*immunology
MH  - Inflammation Mediators/immunology
MH  - Mast Cells/immunology
MH  - Th2 Cells/immunology
PMC - PMC2515354
EDAT- 2008/09/06 09:00
MHDA- 2008/09/25 09:00
PMCR- 2009/09/01
CRDT- 2008/09/06 09:00
PHST- 2008/09/06 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2008/09/25 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2008/09/06 09:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2009/09/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - CEI3716 [pii]
AID - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03716.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Clin Exp Immunol. 2008 Sep;153 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):17-21. doi: 
      10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03716.x.