Argyla-Robertson Syndrome: causes, signs, treatment

What is Argyle-Robertson Syndrome? How does this pathology manifest itself and what causes it? The answers to all these questions you will receive from the materials of our article. Also in it you will find information about whether the disease is treated and how it is done.

Basic information

What is the Argyle-Robertson Syndrome is known only to those people who have directly encountered this pathology. In modern medicine, the term is used to refer to a symptom in which the pupils' response to light is absent or greatly weakened. At the same time, reactions to accommodation and convergence are fully preserved (that is, to aim at an object that is near).

Main symptoms

The Argyle-Robertson syndrome is manifested not only by the aforementioned feature. In addition, patients with the described disease often have anisocoria (different sizes in the pupils of the left and right eyes), miosis (constriction) and pupillary deformation. Also, occasionally, in the presence of this syndrome, they can respond to light in a paradoxical way, that is, slightly expanding. In this case, the ciliospinal reflex may also be completely absent, that is, the pupils may not expand with painful irritation of the skin of the neck.

In some cases, patients have atrophy and depigmentation of the iris. In this situation, it is said that the pathological process is localized in the region of the anterior dorsal colliculus.

Causes of the syndrome

Most often, Argyll-Robertson syndrome is observed with late syphilis. This pathology is most typical for the reduced form of this disease. By the way, it can be observed in the early stages of the venereal disease.

It is impossible not to say that the Argyle-Robertson symptom is also observed in a paralytic syndrome.

Experts argue that the development of the phenomenon in question is primarily due to the defeat of the neuron (intercalary) visual reflex to light. Also, this pathology can develop because of the increased sensitivity of the capillary fibers to treponemal toxin.

In addition, Argyle-Robertson syndrome is often found in other diseases:

• Multiple sclerosis;
• Stem encephalitis;
• Syringobulbium;
• Diphtheria polyneuropathy;
• Alcoholism;
• And also after the transferred ophthalmic or herpes zoster.

This symptom can also be differentiated from the illness of Adi.

Why there is an inverse Argyll-Robertson syndrome, which is characterized by a complete lack of pupillary response to accommodation and convergence, as well as maintaining a response to light? With regular persistence, the pathology under consideration occurs in a disease such as epidemic encephalitis.

Treatment of the syndrome

Therapy of Argyll-Robertson syndrome is not performed due to the fact that this is just a symptom of an internal disease. Therefore, all the forces to eliminate this pathology should be directed to the treatment of the underlying disease, in which this symptom is observed.

Thus, it is necessary to carry out therapy of late or early syphilis, paralytic syndrome, multiple sclerosis, stem encephalitis, diphtheria polyneuropathy, syringobulbia, alcoholism and other listed diseases.