PTERYGIUM: A COMPLEX AND MULTIFACTORIAL OCULAR SURFACE DISEASE. A REVIEW ON ITS PATHOGENIC ASPECTS

M FERNANDA SUAREZ; A. URRETS-ZAVALÍA, JULIO; JUAN PABLO MACCIO,; HM SERRA.; ESPOSITO, EVANGELINA

Rare disease

AvidScience

Año: 2018; p. 2 - 37

SummaryPterygium is an abnormal overgrowth of epithelial and fibrovas-cular tissue of the bulbar conjunctiva onto the corneoscleral limbus that may progress invading the superficial corneal layers. Usually, it develops horizontally on the nasal area of the interpalpebral fissure, but it may also affect the temporal side, and rarely both areas in a same eye. Its prevalence rate varies from 0.7 to 31% in different geo-graphical regions around the world, being especially common in the tropics. Although many factors, such as ultraviolet radiation expo-sure, may contribute to the development and progression of pterygia, its pathogenesis remains elusive.In this chapter, we review the anatomy and histology of the normal conjunctiva, the molecular characterization of conjunctival epithelial cells and the expression of different types of cytokeratins, clinical aspects, presentation and treatment of pterygium, and possi-ble pathogenetic factors influencing its development, such as expres-sion of cytokeratins and matrix metalloproteinases, dysregulation of the elastin metabolism, inflammatory mediators and growth factors, alterations in gene expression, and lipid metabolism and peroxidation