Yula E.Aycan Kaya Ö.M.Atambay M.Do?anay S.Daldal N.Ayhan Tuzcu E.2024-08-042024-08-0420131300-0292https://doi.org/10.5336/medsci.2012-29698https://hdl.handle.net/11616/91096Objective: It was reported that, Demodex folliculorum (DF) and D. brevis (DB) may cause an infestation in healthy subjects and, may be important for some eye problems such as blepharitis, or these parasites can bring the present disease into a more serious condition. In this study, we aimed to determine which demodex species' density increase in patients with blepharitis and whether the demodex density on face differs from healthy subjects. Material and Methods: In the study, the presence of demodex species was analyzed on eyelashes and faces of 96 patients with blepharitis and 197 healthy subjects. Samples taken through standard superficial skin biopsy technique and eyelash epilation were analyzed with the light microscope. Results: The mean age of the patients with blepharitis was 46.90±16.92 (15-89) years, whereas the mean age of control group was 39.54±17.61 (12-84) years. Among eyelash samples of the patients, 78 (81.25%) samples were found DF positive, whereas 25 (26.04%) of them were found DB positive; on the contrary 30 (15.22%) and 7 (3.55%) of the control group was DF and DB positive, respectively. Among the eyelash samples of the patients, the demodex incidence was statistically significantly higher compared to the control group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in terms of demodex positivities on face. All patients who were demodex positive on the facial area were also found demodex positive for eyelash samples whereas 8 (24.2%) of eyelash samples were Demodex spp positive in the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of our study underline that the presence of Demodex spp on facial area may be one the important factors in the pathogenesis of blepharitis. In conclusion, we suggest that taking the demodicosis presence into consideration as a worsening factor may help in the management of blepharitis. © 2013 by Türkiye Klinikleri.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBlepharitisEctoparasitic infestationsArticle33242042410.5336/medsci.2012-296982-s2.0-84874629954Q4