Adie syndrome

Description

Holmes-Adie syndrome (aka Adie syndrome) affects the autonomic nervous system. Patients present with the pupil of one eye being larger and only slowly constricts in bright light (tonic pupil). There is also absence of deep tendon reflexes, usually the Achilles tendon.

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History

1812 – James Ware described some features in his dissertation on Observations relative to the near and distant sight of different persons read November 1812, published 1813

1881 – John Hughlings Jackson described the syndrome in full [1881: 1: 139-154.]

1899 – Pilz

1902 – Julius Strasberger, Alfred Saenger and Max Nonne further described and defined the pupillary findings.

1906 – C. Markus, Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom 1906, 26, 50.

1914 – H. Oloff determined that the condition was not syphilitic in origin

1926 – Weill and Reys summarised the condition completely

1931 – William John Adie (1886-1935) recognised the work of his colleagues including Foster Moore who later expressed his ‘dissatisfaction’ at not having been ascribed the eponym…

Note – After this was written, Mr. Foster Moore kindly allowed me to read the typescript of his paper on the non-luetic Argyll Robertson pupil, which he read at the recent ophthalmological congress. In one of his fifteen patients with this abnormal reaction of the pupil, the knee-jerks were absent: in another they were obtained with reinforcement only.

1931 – Gordon Morgan Holmes described 19 patients with the condition

1934 – Jean-Alexandre Barré (1880-1967) first used the term ‘syndrome d’Adie‘

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Alternative names

• Adie pupil
• Adie-Holmes syndrome
• Holmes-Adie syndrome
• Weill-Reys syndrome

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Associated Persons

• James Ware (1756-1815)
• John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911)
• William John Adie (1886-1935)
• Gordon Morgan Holmes (1876-1965)
• Jean-Alexandre Barré (1880-1967)

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References

Original articles

• Ware J. Observations relative to the near and distant sight of different persons. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1813: 103: 31–50.
• Hughlings Jackson J. VIII: Paralytics affections. In: Transactions of the Ophthalmological Societies of the United Kingdom, 1881, 1: 139-154.
• Saenger A. Über myotonische Pupillenbewegung. Neurologisches Zentralblatt, 1902; 21: 837-839
• Nonne M. Über die sogenannte “myotonische” Convergenzträgheit lichstarrer Pupillen. Neurologisches Centralblatt, 1902; 21: 1000-1004
• Saenger A. Über die beziechung “myotonische Pupillenbewegung”. Neurologisches Zentralblatt, 1902; 21: 1137-1138
• Oloff H. Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde. 1914; 53: 493-502.
• Foster Moore R. Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom 1924; 44: 38
• Weill G, Reys L. Sur la pupillotonie. Contribution a l’étude de sa pathogénie. A propos d’un cas de réaction tonique d’une pupille a la convergence et parésie de l’accommodation avec aréflexie a la lumière chez un sujet atteint de crises tétaniformes et d’aréflexie des membres inférieurs. Revue d’oto-neuro-oculistique, Paris, 1926; 4: 433-441.
• Holmes G. Partial iridoplegia associated with symptoms of other diseases of the nervous system. Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom 1931; 51: 209-28
• Adie WJ. Pseudo-Argyll Robertson pupils with absent tendon reflexes. A benign disorder simulating tabes dorsalis. Br Med J. 1931; 1(3673): 928-30.
• Adie WJ. Argyll Robertson pupils true and false Br Med J. 1931; 2(3681): 136-8.
• Adie WJ. Tonic pupils and absent tendon reflexes: a benign disorder sui generis; its complete and incomplete forms. Brain 1932; 55: 98–113
• Guillain G, Sigwald J. Sur une affection spéciale non syphilitique caractérisée par des troubles pupillaires et l’abolition des réflexes tendineux. Bulletins et mémoires de la Société médicale des hôpitaux de Paris 1932 [maladie d’Adie]
• Barré JA, Klein M. Etude d’un cas de syndrome d’Adie. Revue neurologique 1934: 590 [syndrome d’Adie]

Review articles

• Lowenstein O, Loewenfeld IE. Pupillotonic Pseudotabes (Syndrome of Markus-Weill and Reys-Holmes-Adie): A Critical Review of the Literature. Surv Ophthalmol. 1965; 10: 129-85.
• Dynes JB. Adie’s syndrome: its recognition and importance. JAMA. 1942;119(18):1495-1497