A medical officer examines the upper tarsal conjunctiva of a 6-year-old child in a trachoma-endemic district. She finds at least five follicles, each larger than 0.5 mm, in the upper tarsal conjunctiva. According to the WHO simplified grading system, this child should be classified as:
- A Trachomatous scarring (TS)
- B Trachomatous inflammation, intense (TI)
- C Trachomatous inflammation, follicular (TF) ✓
- D Normal tarsal conjunctiva
Correct answer: C. Trachomatous inflammation, follicular (TF)
Explanation
The WHO simplified system grades TF as the presence of five or more follicles of at least 0.5 mm diameter in the upper tarsal conjunctiva. TI requires pronounced inflammatory thickening that obscures at least half of the normal deep tarsal vessels, which is not described here. TS refers to fibrous scarring, a late stage not seen in an active infection. This child needs topical azithromycin or tetracycline per the C and F components of the SAFE strategy.
Reference: Parsons' Diseases of the Eye, 23rd ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.