[Electro-oculographic features of persons with vitamin E deficiency]. / Manifestaciones electrooculográficas en sujetos con déficit de vitamina E.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Vitamin E (VE) deficiency is a very rare condition which may be due to an isolated deficit or be in the context of a malabsorption disorder. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the findings from an electrooculographic (EOG) point of view of patients with VE deficiency. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We made a retrospective evaluation of all persons with a neurological diagnosis of VE seen in the otoneurological department of our hospital. In all patients an EOG recording was made of the saccadic jerks, and the spontaneous, provoked, positional and opticokinetic (NOC) mystagmus, visual suppression of the vestibulo ocular reflex (VOR) and follow up. RESULTS: We found four cases, with an average age of 9.2 years (range 6 14 years). All the patients but one were male (75%). The EOG findings were related to cerebellar dysfunction (saccadic following) and central nervous system alterations of no value for localization (ataxic following and visual suppression of the VOR). In two patients no anomalies were seen on the EOG recording. CONCLUSIONS: In persons with VE deficiency EOG alterations are not often seen. However, it may be useful to make the recording when it is thought necessary to detect subclinical cerebellar disorders.