Aspects épidémiologiques et cliniques de la limbo-conjonctivite endémique des tropiques chez l'enfant au Centre Hospitalier Régional de Maradi (Niger)

Background :Tropical endemic limbo-conjunctivitis (TELC) is a chronic allergic keratoconjunctivitis that commonly affects children in intertropical regions. Data from Niger are scarce and none were available for the Maradi region. Objective: to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children aged 0–15 years managed for TELC at the Maradi Regional Hospital Centre.Patients and methods :Hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study with prospective data collection and exploratory bivariate analyses, conducted from 1 June to 1 December 2025 in the ophthalmology department of the Maradi Regional Hospital Centre. All children aged 0–15 years clinically diagnosed with TELC were included at their first visit. Clinical forms and stages were defined according to the Diallo classification. Proportions were compared using Pearson's chi-square test.Results :Out of 1,326 ophthalmology consultations of all ages combined, we saw 474 children, among whom 310 presented with a TELC. Boys accounted for 65.2% of cases (sex ratio 1.87). Mean age was 5.6 ± 3.7 years and nearly half of the children (49.7%) were under 5 years. Most lived in urban areas (87.7%). The limbal form predominated (63.2%) and stage II was the most frequent (49.7%). The distribution of clinical forms differed by sex (p < 0.001), the palpebral form being more frequent in girls (35.2% vs 16.3%), and by age (p = 0.029).Conclusion :TELC accounts for a substantial share of ophthalmology consultations at the Maradi Regional Hospital Centre. It mainly affects boys, children under 5 and urban families. These figures describe a hospital burden; true community prevalence remains to be measured.