The treatment is focused on resolving the underlying cause.
What Are the Symptoms of Horner Syndrome?
Other possible symptoms include unilateral facial flushing, blurred vision, or eye pain.
Illustration by JR Bee, Verywell
Additional symptoms may appear depending on the underlying cause.
Rather, Horner syndrome is regarded as secondary to the underlying cause.
Horner syndrome occurring in newborns may also causeiris heterochromia.
What Is Horner Syndrome brought on by?
Horner syndrome is due to injury or damage to the sympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system regulates the bodys “fight or flight response to perceived real threats.
With Horner syndrome, a specific part of the sympathetic nervous system, called theoculosympatheticpathway, is damaged.
The intensity of symptoms depends on how severely the nerve pathway is damaged.
Different conditions can affect these different parts.
First-order Horner syndromeinvolves damage to the nerve running from the hypothalamus and brainstem to the spinal cord.
Congenital Horner syndrome accounts for only 5% of cases among children.
The diagnosis will start with a detailed medical history and physical exam.
Failure to do so is an indication of nerve damage.
Next, the healthcare provider will order tests to pinpoint where along the oculosympathetic pathway the injury has occurred.
These may involve imaging tests such as:
Additional tests may be ordered, depending on the suspected cause.
Horner Syndrome Treatment
The treatment for Horner syndrome varies based on the underlying cause.
The treatment does not “cure” Horner syndrome but rather resolves or minimizes the underlying cause.
In many cases, the symptoms of Horner syndrome will go away once the underlying condition is resolved.
In other cases, the symptoms may resolve on their own without treatment.
There is no direct treatment for Horner syndrome.
Rather, the treatment involves resolving the underlying cause.
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NIH Genetics Home Reference.Horner syndrome.
Horner’s syndrome: genetic and rare diseases information center (GARD) an NCATS Program.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NIH).
Genetics Home Reference.Horner Syndrome.
