Prevalence and clinical characteristics of Charles Bonnet syndrome in Madrid, Spain

Purpose: Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is a condition characterized by development of visual hallucinations in patients with no cognitive impairment and significant loss of vision mainly caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or glaucoma. Methods: This was a study of prevalence and characteristics of CBS diagnosed at the Neuroophthalmic Unit within the Ophthalmology Department of Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC), Madrid, Spain. Results: The CBS prevalence in patients from HCSC Madrid is 0.47%, rising to 15% in patients with low vision. Women over 80 years of age comprised 58.3% of the patients, who mainly had AMD (58.3%). Main characteristics of hallucinations included animals (50%), color (58.3%), moving (75%), 6- to 12-month evolution (50%), three times a day frequency (75%), and 3- to 5-minute duration (50%). Conclusions: Charles Bonnet syndrome is a complex process that must be treated jointly by ophthalmologists, neurologists, and psychiatrists in order to ensure accurate diagnosis and adequate management. New studies are needed in order to improve awareness of clinical manifestation of this condition, the incidence of which is underestimated due to patients' fear of being branded mentally ill, as well as physicians' lack of knowledge about CBS

Charles Bonnet syndrome in a child with congenital glaucoma

Case report: The case is presented of a 12 year-old boy with congenital glaucoma and low visual acuity diagnosed with Charles Bonnet syndrome. This consisted of the acute onset of complex, repetitive, persistent, and with visual hallucinations (people, brooms and coffeemakers) of self-limited evolution without treatment. The patient was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma at 3 years of age, and subjected to a trabeculectomy in right eye, and trabeculectomy and keratoplasty in his left eye. Discussion: Charles Bonnet syndrome symptoms have been described in adults, but their presence in children is poorly reflected in literature, with unknown characteristics and prevalence

Cese paradójico de un caso de síndrome de Charles Bonnet

Caso clínico: paciente varón de 78 años diagnosticado de síndrome de Charles Bonnet (SCB) por déficit visual secundario a glaucoma terminal. Evolucionó a amaurosis, presentando desaparición brusca de las alucinaciones de forma paralela a la pérdida del resto visual. Discusión: el cese paradójico del SCB se produce cuando el paciente pierde el resto visual, evolucionando a amaurosis. La falta de estimulación en la retina y el córtex correspondiente hacen desaparecer las alucinaciones debido a que las neuronas desaferentadas e hiperexcitadas pierden el estímulo que desencadena el SCB

Lack of Association between Common <i>LAG3/CD4</i> Variants and Risk of Migraine

Several papers have been published suggesting a probable role of inflammatory factors in the etiopathogenesis of migraine. In this study, we investigated the possible association between common variants in the LAG3/CD4 genes (both genes, which are closely related, encode proteins involved in inflammatory and autoimmune responses) in the risk of migraine in a cohort of Caucasian Spanish participants. For this purpose, the frequencies of CD4 rs1922452, CD4 rs951818, and LAG3 rs870849 genotypes and allelic variants, using a specific TaqMan-based qPCR assay, were assessed in 290 patients diagnosed with migraine and in 300 healthy controls. The relationship of these variables with several clinical features of migraine was also analyzed. The frequencies of the analyzed LAG3/CD4 genotypes did not differ significantly between the two study groups and were not related to the sex, age at onset of migraine, family history of migraine, presence or absence of aura, or the triggering effect of ethanol on migraine episodes. These results suggest a lack of association between common variants in the LAG3/CD4 genes and the risk of developing migraine in the Caucasian Spanish population