Bourne R R, Dolin P J, Mtanda A T, Plant G T, Mohamed A A
Department of Ophthalmology, Royal United Hospitals, Bath.
Br J Ophthalmol. 1998 Mar;82(3):232-4. doi: 10.1136/bjo.82.3.232.
An epidemic of bilateral optic neuropathy is affecting large numbers of people aged between 10 and 40 in Dar es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania. The disease is characterised by acute onset of bilateral visual impairment, bilateral impairment of colour vision, and a characteristic temporal pallor of the optic discs. The disease often occurs in association with peripheral neuropathy and sensorineural hearing loss. This report presents the first data on disease prevalence in adolescents, based on a rapid assessment of schoolchildren.
Three schools in Dar es Salaam were visited and all children aged between 10 and 16 were screened for the disease.
The prevalence of bilateral optic neuropathy among the schoolchildren is estimated to be 1.0% (95% CI 0.5-1.4%). This suggests that 5000 children (95% CI 2600-7300) aged 10-16 in Dar es Salaam may have the disease.
The results of this rapid assessment indicate this epidemic is a major public health problem. The prevalence of the disease in the community is likely to be far higher than found in this survey because children with the disease may have withdrawn from school. As the disease predominantly affects young adults, resulting in impaired vision and hearing, the economic and social consequences are enormous.
一场双侧视神经病变的流行病正在影响坦桑尼亚首都达累斯萨拉姆大量10至40岁的人群。该疾病的特征为双侧视力损害急性发作、双侧色觉损害以及视盘特征性的颞侧苍白。该疾病常与周围神经病变和感音神经性听力损失相关。本报告基于对学童的快速评估，呈现了关于青少年疾病患病率的首批数据。
走访了达累斯萨拉姆的三所学校，对所有10至16岁的儿童进行了该疾病筛查。
学童中双侧视神经病变的患病率估计为1.0%（95%置信区间0.5 - 1.4%）。这表明达累斯萨拉姆5000名（95%置信区间2600 - 7300）10至16岁的儿童可能患有该疾病。
此次快速评估结果表明这场流行病是一个重大的公共卫生问题。社区中该疾病的患病率可能远高于此次调查结果，因为患病儿童可能已辍学。由于该疾病主要影响年轻人，导致视力和听力受损，其经济和社会后果是巨大的。
