Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32904930›Full record

ArticleJIMD reports2020

Improved electroretinographic responses following dietary intervention in a patient with Refsum disease.

Matthew D Benson, Ian M MacDonald, Melissa Sheehan, Shailly Jain

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in JIMD reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 43% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. The Role of Visual Electrophysiology in Systemic Hereditary Syndromes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Large Benefit from Simple Things: High-Dose Vitamin A ImprovesInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Matthew D BensonDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada.
Ian M MacDonaldDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada.
Melissa SheehanNutrition Services, Alberta Health Services Stollery Children's Hospital Edmonton Alberta Canada.
Shailly JainDepartment of Medical Genetics University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada.
University of Alberta · CAStollery Children's Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Refsum disease is a rare inherited metabolic disorder arising from a defect in peroxisomal metabolism. Patients lack the functional enzyme phytanoyl-CoA hydroxylase, resulting in perturbed alpha oxidation of fatty acids. Phytanic acid accumulates in nervous and adipose tissue and leads to several disease phenotypes including early-onset retinal degeneration, hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, anosmia, and cerebellar ataxia, among others. Currently, restricting dietary phytanic acid is the only means of altering the chronic sequelae and the disease course. While dietary intervention has been demonstrated to improve peripheral neuropathy, ichthyosis, and ataxia, there have been no reports of improved retinal function in patients with Refsum disease. We describe the case of a 51-year-old patient with molecularly and biochemically confirmed Refsum disease who underwent electroretinography before and after beginning a phytanic acid-restricted diet. His post-intervention 30 Hz flicker electroretinogram demonstrated significantly improved waveform amplitudes and implicit times, suggesting improved retinal function. Thus, we propose that the possibility exists for some visual recovery in these patients and we highlight the utility of performing standardized electroretinography to assess treatment response in Refsum disease.

Indexed as

electroretinographyphytanic acidRefsum diseaseretinal degeneration

Identifiers

PMID32904930
PMCPMC7463047
OpenAlexW3043585579

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.