Conjunctival suffusion is an
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
finding occurring early in
leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a blood infection caused by the bacteria '' Leptospira''. Signs and symptoms can range from none to mild (headaches, muscle pains, and fevers) to severe ( bleeding in the lungs or meningitis). Weil's disease, the acute, seve ...
, which is caused by ''
Leptospira interrogans''. Conjunctival suffusion is characterized by
redness
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a second ...
of the
conjunctiva
The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, stratified columnar epitheli ...
that resembles
conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is inflammation of the outermost layer of the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. It makes the eye appear pink or reddish. Pain, burning, scratchiness, or itchiness may occur. The ...
, but it does not involve inflammatory exudates.
Swelling of the conjunctiva (
chemosis
Chemosis is the swelling (or edema) of the conjunctiva. The term derives from the Greek ''chem-'' meaning chemical and ''-osis'' meaning denoting action. A chemical reaction, or in this case, a chemical reaction of the conjunctiva which is due t ...
) is seen along the corners of the eye (
palpebral fissures
The palpebral fissure is the elliptic space between the medial and lateral canthi of the two open eyelids. In simple terms, it is the opening between the eyelids. In adult humans, this measures about 10 mm vertically and 30 mm horizontally.
Va ...
).
About 30 percent of people with leptospirosis (also known as Weil's disease) develop conjunctival suffusion.
When it does occur, it develops towards the end of the early phase of the illness. Even in severe cases, the suffusion occurs in the first phase of the illness.
Conjunctival suffusion may also occur in patients with a
Hantavirus
''Orthohantavirus'' is a genus of single-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family '' Hantaviridae'' within the order '' Bunyavirales''. Members of this genus may be called orthohantaviruses or simply hantaviruses.
Orthohan ...
infection. In a 1994 study of 17 patients with Hantavirus infections, 3 had conjunctival suffusion.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Leptospirosis
Disorders of conjunctiva
Medical signs