There are different types of pathologies that can affect an individual in different aspects, such as the nerves of a specific part of the body; Such is the case of Horner syndrome, about which we will explain all the information that has been collected so far.
What is Horner syndrome?
This syndrome is a strange pathology or disorder that affects the nerves of the face and eyes; resulting in a series of symptoms such as drooping eyelids. It is also known as Claude Bernard Horner syndrome due to the history of its discovery.
The main researcher of the disorder was Claude Bernaard, a physiologist from France who observed animals with the condition in the 40th century. Later, ophthalmologist Horner discovered it for the first time in humans, the patient being a woman around XNUMX years old.
Horner syndrome affects a sympathetic pathway, which can be divided into three types: central, preganglionic and postglangionary. However, the condition can vary depending on the individual.
What are the causes of Claude Benard Horner syndrome?
It can be said that there are two causes of the syndrome. The first refers to when it originates without the need for external disorders; while the second would be as a result of another disorder.
- A) When the pathology originates by itself, it occurs when the nerve fibers are affected at some point in their connection between the brain and the eye. Some of them make a long journey, going from the brain, passing through the spinal cord, thorax, neck, skull and finally the eyes.
- B) If the origin is due to another disorder, there are several conditions that may be the cause. Furthermore, these pathologies usually affect one of the areas described above through which the nerve fibers pass.
Among the most common disorders that usually cause Horner syndrome, we can find:
- Cervical spondylosis.
- Lyme disease may be one of the causes, and it is possible to reverse the effects.
- Tumors that can affect the base of the skull and Pancoast tumor, which are found in the upper part of the lung.
- Injury to the brachial plexus or carotid nerves.
- Some stroke.
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm.
- Swollen lymph nodes
Depending on the damage caused, the syndrome can be divided into three types:
- Central: It is caused by damage to the hypothalamus, brainstem or cervical cord.
- Preganglionic: produced by damage to the cervicothoracic cord, lower brachial plexus, mediastinum or anterior cervical region.
- Postganglionic: It can be caused by damage to the superior cervical lymph node, internal carotid artery, skull base or cavernous sinus.
It is important to highlight that the syndrome can be present from the birth of an individual; which means it is congenital.
What symptoms does Horner syndrome present?
Apart from the signs presented by other disorders (if they are the cause), there is a series of characteristic symptoms of this syndrome, which are: ptosis, miosis, anhidrosis, delayed dilation and heterochromia.
- ptosis It refers to the drooping of the eyelid, but incompletely.
- miosis For its part, it refers to the constricted pupil, but the difference with the pupil of the healthy eye is barely noticeable; Only in some specific situations could a greater difference be observed (state of alert, darkness, among others).
- Heterochromia refers to the pigmentation of the iris. However, this is something that happens when the pathology is acquired; being more common when the origin is congenital.
- delayed dilation, which is not always present in affected individuals.
- anhidrosis It refers to when there is loss of sweating, something that only happens in the first two types of Horner syndrome.
The affected eye of the individual is the same as the side where the damage to the nerve fibers mentioned above occurred. The same happens with sweating.
Finally, there may also be other problems associated with the symptoms described. For example, it is much easier to get conjunctivitis and nasal discharge is increased on the affected side.
Horner syndrome treatment
To date, there is no treatment designed to treat Horner syndrome specifically, but rather depending on its origin, different options may be available to treat it. Furthermore, this syndrome does not affect the daily lives of those who suffer from it, with a drooping eyelid being the only symptom that can really cause discomfort.
Regarding the prognosis, in most cases if the problem that caused the syndrome is treated quickly, the affected individual will be able to forget about the abnormality. Which means it will depend on the individual and the cause.
