Horner's syndrome, also known as oculo-sympathetic paralysis, is a rare disease caused by an interruption of nerve transmission from the brain to the face and eye on one side of the body, resulting in a decrease in pupil size, drooping eyelid and decreased sweat on the side of the affected face.
This syndrome can result from a medical condition, such as a stroke, a tumor or spinal cord injury, for example, or even from an unknown cause. The resolution of Horner's syndrome consists of treating the cause that causes it.
What symptoms
The signs and symptoms that may occur in people suffering from Horner syndrome are:
- Miosis, which consists of a decrease in the size of the pupil; Anisocoria, which consists of a difference in the size of the pupil between the two eyes; Delay in the dilation of the pupil of the affected eye; Dropped eyelid in the affected eye; Elevation of the lower eyelid; Decrease or absence of sweat production on the affected side.
When this disease manifests itself in children, symptoms such as alteration in the color of the iris of the affected eye, which may become clearer, especially in children under one year of age, or lack of redness on the affected side of the face, may also appear. it would normally appear in situations such as exposure to heat or emotional reactions.
Possible causes
Horner's syndrome is caused by an injury to the facial nerves related to the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating heart rate, pupil size, sweating, blood pressure and other functions that are activated to changes in the environment.
The cause of this syndrome may not be identified, however some of the diseases that can cause facial nerve damage and cause Horner's syndrome are strokes, tumors, diseases that cause loss of myelin, spinal cord injuries, lung cancer, aortic injuries, carotid or jugular vein, surgery in the chest cavity, migraines or cluster headache. Here's how to know if it's migraine or cluster headache.
In children, the most common causes of Horner's syndrome are injuries to the baby's neck or shoulders during delivery, defects in the aorta already present at birth or tumors.
How the treatment is done
There is no specific treatment for Horner's syndrome. This syndrome usually disappears when the underlying disease is treated.
