Mrugacz M, Kasacka I, Bakunowicz-Lazarczyk A, Kaczmarski M, Kulak W
Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
Eye (Lond). 2008 Sep;22(9):1137-40. doi: 10.1038/sj.eye.6702867. Epub 2007 May 25.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most frequent lethal autosomal recessive hereditary disorder. The disease affects all secretory epithelia, including the eye, and belongs to the group of ocular surface epithelial diseases, termed keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate goblet cell population and conjunctival epithelial morphology in patients with CF.
A total of 20 CF patients and 20 controls underwent conjunctival impression cytology.
Impression cytology showed conjunctival squamous metaplasia and goblet cell loss in patients with CF.
Reduced goblet cell numbers and squamous metaplasia may be indicative of a higher degree of epithelial damage of conjunctival epithelial cells in CF patients, and the presence of neutrophils is a strong sign for an inflammatory background of this disease.In view of the simple, noninvasive nature of impression cytology, this technique may prove to be an important tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of dry eye changes in CF patients.
囊性纤维化（CF）是最常见的致死性常染色体隐性遗传性疾病。该疾病影响包括眼部在内的所有分泌上皮，属于眼表上皮疾病组，称为干燥性角结膜炎或干眼综合征。本研究的目的是评估CF患者的杯状细胞数量和结膜上皮形态。
共有20例CF患者和20例对照者接受了结膜印迹细胞学检查。
印迹细胞学检查显示CF患者结膜鳞状化生和杯状细胞缺失。
杯状细胞数量减少和鳞状化生可能表明CF患者结膜上皮细胞的上皮损伤程度较高，中性粒细胞的存在是该疾病炎症背景的有力迹象。鉴于印迹细胞学检查简单、无创的性质，该技术可能被证明是诊断和监测CF患者干眼变化的重要工具。
