Cuban Epidemic Optic Neuropathy and its Relationship to Toxic and Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

Abstract

The similarities and differences between toxic/nutritional and hereditary optic neuropathy and the pathophysiologic mechanisms that they have in common are described. This is based on data from the epidemic suffered in Cuba in 1992, which affected the optic nerves of many individuals and the experience of the authors in dealing with various toxic optic neuropathies, as well as Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Optic Neuropathy among a Prison Population in Papua New Guinea

“…35 Also, although tuberculosis is endemic in PNG, and isoniazid and ethambutol incriminated in dose-dependent ON, 42,43 the disease and its treatment were admitted by few prisoners, and no association with ON was revealed in the study's small sample.…”

“…33 Such a mechanism would be analogous to the impaired mitochondrial function found in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. 34,35 Vitamin B 12 deficiency, either alone 7,36-38 or in concert with folate deficiency, 34,35 may also result in ON. However, among the examined PNG prisoner population, serum concentrations of vitamin B 12 and the physiologically active metabolite holotranscobalamin ll were, for the most part, within the normal range, and decreasing concentrations were not associated with increasing risk of ON (Table 3).…”

Optical Coherence Tomographic Comparison of Cuban Epidemic and Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

“…15,16,37 The number of people who consumed tobacco and alcohol was less than half for the patients with LHON, but it was greater than the general population. The mean age of visual loss was at least 20 years less for the LHON patients than CEON patients.…”

“…[1][2][3][4]15,16,21,22,26,[35][36][37]39 These diseases appear to be due to acquired or inherited mitochondrial failure.…”

The-LHON-Enigma: explaining the behaviour of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy by the use of a simple computer model

“…The best example, in this respect, is the outbreak in the 1990’s of Cuban Epidemic Neuropathy in which as many as 50,000 Cubans were affected to a greater or lesser degree. There were a number of papers produced during the epidemic, or shortly afterwards (Johns, 1994; Sadun, 1994; Sadun, 1994-1995; Sadun, 1998; Santiesteban-Freixas, 1999); and more recently further papers have appeared (Santiesteban-Freixas, 2010; Mills, 2011) which look at the epidemic with our present knowledge. In the computer model the factors of exposure to toxins, smoking, alcohol intake and malnutrition are considered together as one parameter which can be set as none , mild , moderate , or severe .…”