What Is Sunflower Syndrome?

Sunflower Syndrome Baby

 Sunflower syndrome is a rare, epileptic disorder characterized by highly stereotyped seizures. During these seizures, people with sunflower syndrome simultaneously wave a hand in front of their eyes and turn toward a bright light. This unique behavior is accompanied by sudden loss of consciousness. Girls are more affected than boys, with a ratio of girls to boys of about 3:1. This blog post delves into the mysterious world of sunflower syndrome, exploring its origins, manifestations, and profound impact on those affected. Prepare to be intrigued, as we uncover the fascinating mystery behind this remarkable phenomenon

Defining Sunflower Syndrome:

Sunflower syndrome, also known as heliotropic syndrome. It is characterized by a different pattern, where the person tends to move their head and body towards the light source, much like a sunflower facing the sun.

The exact origin and cause of sunflower syndrome are not yet fully understood. It is considered a neurological disorder, suggesting that it arises from a disturbance or abnormality in the functioning of the central nervous system.

What are The Symptoms Of Sunflower Syndrome?

Notable symptoms of sunflower syndrome include intense attraction to light, the involuntary turning of the head and body towards the morning, and convulsive activity. The issues mentioned above usually start before the age of ten

Patients with sunflower syndrome may also experience other types of seizures. These include absence seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. For some, tonic-clonic seizures occur after prolonged exposure to bright light and prolonged hand-waving episodes.

What Causes Sunflower Syndrome?

As of today, the cause of sunflower syndrome is not known. However, the disorder is highly stereotyped and usually begins in the first decade of life. This suggests that there may be a genetic component. Currently, we are conducting research to identify and understand the underlying genetics involved in the disorder.

How Is Sunflower Syndrome Diagnosed?

There are currently no clinical or laboratory standards for the diagnosis of sunflower syndrome. However, people with sunflower syndrome have abnormal electroencephalograms (EEGs) consistent with generalized epilepsy. For this reason, 

What Are The Impacts Sunflower Syndrome Patients Face?

The impacts of sunflower syndrome have not been fully explored. Because people with sunflower syndrome experience brief disturbances in consciousness, episodes of hand tremors can affect one's presence and ability to learn. Furthermore, these disturbances in consciousness may pose a safety risk depending on the child's activity during the hand-waving episode. Children who experience tonic-clonic seizures are at increased risk of injury during those seizures.

Some patients also report experiencing anxiety, which may be due in part to an inability to prevent or control handshaking episodes. Children with sunflower syndrome may also feel additional pressure from physicians, family members, and friends to believe that handshaking episodes are self-induced and under conscious control. Children often report that being told to "just stop" causes them to convulse.

How Is Sunflower Syndrome Treated?

There have been no clinical trials investigating the efficacy of treatment for sunflower syndrome. For this reason, it is unknown whether any anticonvulsant drugs or medicines are particularly effective.

Some people with sunflower syndrome and their parents report that providing shade from bright light (baseball caps, tinted sunglasses, or welder's glasses) can help reduce the frequency of hand-shaking episodes. Other people have reported that focusing on specific tasks in the presence of bright light can reduce the frequency of hand movements.

What Are The Treatment Option For Sunflower Syndrome?

Sunflower syndrome (SFS) frequently necessitates polytherapy or the administration of more than one drug along with other lifestyle modifications. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for such a rare syndrome. 

Treatment options include

• Current medications that seem to be working on a few patients
• Valproic acid (recognized as the most effective treatment of photosensitive epilepsies)
• Levetiracetam
• Ethosuximide
• Benzodiazepines
• Lamotrigine
• Trimethadione
• Fenfluramine (reduces or suppresses hand-waving episodes without evidence of significant side effects; reduction in hand-waving episodes may lead to a decrease in seizure episodes)
• Antianxiety medications can be used in combination with antiseizure medications if SFS is associated with anxiety
• Sometimes, a combination of these medicines may be more effective than a single medicine

Conclusion:

• Sunflower syndrome, also known as heliotropism syndrome, is a rare neurological condition characterized by persistent and involuntary turning of the head or body toward a light source.
• The exact origin and cause of sunflower syndrome are still not fully understood, but it is considered a neurological disorder resulting from a disturbance or abnormality of the central nervous system.
• Major symptoms of sunflower syndrome include intense attraction to light sources, reflexive and involuntary movements to light, lack of awareness or limited control over behavior, sensitivity to light, and interference with daily activities and social interactions.
• A diagnosis of sunflower syndrome involves a comprehensive evaluation by health care professionals, including a medical history evaluation, physical examination, observation of behavior, elimination of other possible causes, collaborative evaluation, and in some cases, medical imaging and testing.
• Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial to understanding and effectively managing sunflower syndrome.
•  There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for such a rare syndrome. There is some treatment option.

Additional Resources And References:

Table 1Demographic, clinical, EEG features and treatment of 21 patients with Sunflower syndrome.

PatientNo.	Age (years)	Sex	Febrile Seizures	Family History of Epilepsy	Age at onset (years)	Trigger	PPR Type	IPS (Hz)	EEG (interictal)	Comorbidity	PPR (at last follow-up)	Therapy (at last follow-up)
												ASM	Lenses
1	13	F	No	No	5	Sunlight	IV	10-30	Normal	No	IV	No	Yes
2	27	F	No	No	16	Sunlight	IV	20-30	SW/PSW	No	IV	No	Yes
3	18	M	No	Yes	10	Sunlight	IV	15-25	SW/PSW	Dyslexia and dyscalculia	No	LTG+VPA	Yes
4	15	F	No	No	7	Sunlight/ bright light	IV	10-30	PSW	No	No	LTG+VPA	Yes
5	12	F	No	No	7	Sunlight	IV	NA	Low-voltage GSW	Migraine	No	No	Yes
6	11	F	No	No	8	Tunnel lights	III	10-20	Sporadic spikes	No	No	No	Yes
7	13	F	No	No	11	Sunlight	IV	15	SW	No		No	Yes
8	54	F	Yes	No	10	Sunlight	III	NA	Normal	Autoimmune disease	No	No	Yes
9	10	F	No	No	5	Sunlight	III	2-3-12	Burst of generalized slow waves	Social communication disorder	III	Seizure free	No
10	11	F	No	Yes	3	Sunlight	IV	10-25	GSW/GPS, SW	No	IV	Seizure free	No
11	21	F	Yes	No	10	Sunlight	III	10-15	SW	Anxiety disorder	No	No	Yes
12	14	F	No	No	6	Sunlight	IV	10-25	GSW	Growth hormone deficiency	No	LTG+VPA	Yes
13	14	F	No	Yes	8	Sunlight	IV	15	Normal	No	IV	Seizure free	No
14	13	M	No	Yes	8	Sunlight	III	10-15-30	Sporadic SW	Dyspraxia	No	LTG+VPA	Yes
15	28	F	No	Yes	6	Sunlight/ bright light	III	NA	SW	No	III	Seizure free	No
16	14	M	No	Yes	5	Sunlight	IV	NA	SW/PSW	No	III	Seizure free	No
17	31	M	No	Yes	7	Sunlight	IV	NA	SW/PSW	No	IV	Seizure free	No
18	15	F	No	No	7	Sunlight	III	10-15	Sporadic SW	No	No	LTG+VPA	Yes
19	12	F	Yes	Yes	5	Sunlight/ brigh light	IV	10-30	Normal	Dyslexia	IV	Seizure free	No
20	20	F	No	No	6	Sunlight/ brigh light	IV	10-25	SW/PSW	Migraine	IV	Seizure free	No
21	17	M	No	Yes	10	Sunlight	IV	20-30	SW/PSW	No	III	Seizure free	No

ASM: anti-seizure medication; SW: Spike-and-wave; PSW: Polyspike-and-wave; GPSW: Generalized polyspike-and-wave discharges; GSW: Generalized spike-and-wave discharges; IPS: intermittent photic stimulation; LTG: lamotrigine; NA: not available; PPR: photoparoxysmal response; VPA: valproic acid.

• Open table in a new tab