This report describes a 66-year-old Caucasian male who acutely developed severe, bilateral impairment of visual acuity at 24 years of age. Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) was suspected but the diagnosis was not genetically confirmed until the age of 49 years when the primary LHON mutation m.3460G>A was detected. Since onset, visual acuity had slightly improved. The family history was positive for LHON (brother, two sisters of mother, female cousin) and genetically confirmed in his brother and one aunt. Since the age of 65 years, he had experienced recurrent vertigo. His cardiological history was positive for arterial hypertension, noncompaction, myocardial thickening, intermittent right bundle-branch-block (RBBB) and Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. In addition to LHON, he presented with polyneuropathy, hyperCKaemia, carotid artery occlusion, and a history of stroke. Cardiological investigations at 66 years of age revealed mildly reduced systolic function, enlarged atria, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardias. He underwent an electrophysiological investigation, but radiofrequency ablation was ruled out due to a ‘bizarre’ cardiac conduction system. Instead, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was proposed but refused by the patient. Since the vertigo did not resolve it was attributed to polyneuropathy. This case demonstrates that LHON may be associated with noncompaction, myocardial thickening, reduced systolic function, enlarged atria, RBBB, WPW syndrome and nonsustained ventricular tachycardias. WPW syndrome in LHON may require invasive antiarrhythmic treatment.
Factors associated with rapid improvement in visual acuity in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy after gene therapy
