Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31909191›Full record

ArticleBMJ open ophthalmology2019

The impact of microbial keratitis on quality of life in Uganda.

Simon Arunga, Geoffrey Wiafe, Esmael Habtamu, John Onyango, Stephen Gichuhi, Astrid Leck, David Macleod, Victor Hu, Matthew Burton

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open ophthalmology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 6 countries.

Simon ArungaDepartment of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1049-3086
Geoffrey WiafeDepartment of Ophthalmology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Esmael HabtamuLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine International Centre for Eye Health, London, UK.
John OnyangoDepartment of Ophthalmology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
Stephen GichuhiDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Astrid LeckITD/CRU, LSHTM, London, UK.
David MacleodDepartment of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Victor HuInternational Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Matthew BurtonClinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBMbarara University of Science and Technology · UGUniversity of Nairobi · KE

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/R010161/1Wellcome Trust 207472/Z/17/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMicrobial keratitis (MK) is a frequent cause of sight loss in sub-Saharan Africa. However, no studies have formally measured its impact on quality of life (QoL) in this context.

methodsAs part of a nested case-control design for risk factors of MK, we recruited patients presenting with MK at two eye units in Southern Uganda between December 2016 and March 2018 and unaffected individuals, individually matched for sex, age and location. QoL was measured using WHO Health-Related and Vision-Related QoL tools (at presentation and 3 months after start of treatment in cases). Mean QoL scores for both groups were compared. Factors associated with QoL among the cases were analysed in a linear regression model.

results215 case-controls pairs were enrolled. The presentation QoL scores for the cases ranged from 20 to 65 points. The lowest QoL was visual symptom domain; mean 20.7 (95% CI 18.8 to 22.7) and the highest was psychosocial domain; mean 65.6 (95% CI 62.5 to 68.8). At 3 months, QoL scores for the patients ranged from 80 to 90 points while scores for the controls ranged from 90 to 100. The mean QoL scores of the cases were lower than controls across all domains. Determinants of QoL among the cases at 3 months included visual acuity at 3 months and history of eye loss.

conclusionMK severely reduces QoL in the acute phase. With treatment and healing, QoL subsequently improves. Despite this improvement, QoL of someone affected by MK (even with normal vision) remains lower than unaffected controls.

Indexed as

bacterial keratitisblindnessfungal keratitismicrobial keratitisquality of lifeuganda

Identifiers

PMID31909191
PMCPMC6936408
OpenAlexW2998371466

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.