National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Ligneous conjunctivitis


Other Names:
Conjunctivitis lignosa
Categories:
Ligneous conjunctivitis is a rare disorder characterized by the buildup of a protein called fibrin which causes inflammation of the conjunctiva (conjunctivitis) and leads to thick, woody (ligneous), inflamed growths that are yellow, white, or red. Ligneous conjunctivitis most often occurs on the inside of the eyelids, but may also affect the sclera, cornea and pupil, leading to vision loss.[1] A systemic form of the condition may occur, affecting the mucous membranes of the larynx, vocal chords, nose, trachea, bronchi, vagina, cervix, and gingiva. The cause of ligneous conjunctivitis is unknown. Autosomal recessive inheritance has been suggested in some cases.[2] Ligneous conjunctivitis is sometimes associated with a condition known as congenital plasminogen deficiency.
Last updated: 4/29/2013

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • The Autoimmune Registry supports research for Ligneous conjunctivitis by collecting information about patients with this and other autoimmune diseases. You can join the registry to share your information with researchers and receive updates about participating in new research studies. Learn more about registries.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.

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  1. Congenital plasminogen deficiency. Genetics Home Reference (GHR). August 2012; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/congenital-plasminogen-deficiency. Accessed 4/29/2013.
  2. Conjunctivitis, Ligneous. National Organiation for Rare Disorders (NORD). 2007; http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/863/viewAbstract. Accessed 4/29/2013.