A curious fact: Photic sneeze reflex. Autosomical dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst syndrome. / Curiosidad: reflejo de estornudo fótico. Síndrome helio-oftálmico de estornudos compulsivos autosómico dominante.

OBJECTIVE: To assess ocular involvement in the pathophysiology of autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst syndrome (ACHOOs). METHODS: An interview was conducted with a Caucasian family that showed clinical features of ACHOOs. Twelve of them had photic reflex and were recruited. A complete eye evaluation was made. RESULTS: A dominant autosomal inheritance with mild penetrance was demonstrated, with 67% of the studied subjects showing some degree of prominent corneal nerves. No other eye changes were found. CONCLUSIONS: Prominent corneal nerves may be associated with ACHOOs. The other eye structures studied do not seem to play a role in ACHOOs. Further studies are needed to understand the physiology of the ACHOOs.

Acquired night blindness due to bad eating patterns.

We report a case of acquired night blindness in a developed country (Spain) without risk factors for nutritional deficiency disease or family history of hereditary retinal disease. A 76-year-old woman presented with acquired night blindness of 6-month progression. After a thorough inquiry about eating patterns she becomes suspicious of vitamin A low dietary intake, which is analytically confirmed and successfully treated. Despite being very uncommon in our environment and even more in patients without digestive problems, in a patient reporting acquired night blindness vitamin A deficiency should not be discarded until eating patterns have been investigated. It might be especially relevant in certain socioeconomic situations and eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa.

Ozone: a trigger for hospital pediatric asthma emergency room visits.

A time-series study was carried out in Paris from January 1 to December 31, 1988 with the aim of investigating the association between urban air pollution and daily emergency room visits for asthma in a pediatric hospital. Levels of black smoke, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone were monitored throughout the study area, and meteorological data were collected. Influenza epidemics and pollen periods were identified. Health data were collected from a pediatric hospital emergency room. Case definition of asthma attacks was based on clinical diagnosis. Children were included in the study if: 1) they were 1 to 15 years old; 2) they had doctor-diagnosed asthma and were followed in our asthma outpatient clinic; and 3) they were residents in the Paris region. The relation between daily asthma visit counts and air pollution levels was assessed, using a multiple linear regression model and taking into account temporal variations and autocorrelation in the data. A thousand and twenty visits for asthma were observed during the study period. A positive statistical association was found between daily asthma visits and daily variations of ozone levels (1 day after exposure, relative risk = 1.52 [95% confidence interval: 1. 06-2.19]) after controlling for monthly and weekly variations, influenza epidemics, periods of pollen exposure, and daily mean temperature (2 days' lag). This study underlines the significant role of ozone as a trigger for asthma attacks in children.