Longitudinal measures in children receiving ENCAD for hereditary retinal degeneration.

A hydrolysate of yeast RNA (ENCAD) is used in the Soviet Union for the treatment of hereditary retinal degenerations. We report longitudinal data from three young patients who have made at least two visits to the Soviet Union over a five-year period to receive treatment with ENCAD. Two children were diagnosed with cone-rod degeneration and the third has an isolated (simplex) form of retinitis pigmentosa. Visual function measurements were obtained before and after each visit to Moscow. In the comparison of previsit and postvisit visual acuity, 30 Hz flicker amplitude, and visual fields, ENCAD treatment had no significant short-term effect. Despite treatment with ENCAD, each patient has shown a significant decrease in visual function over the 5-year period. The rate of progression in these patients appears similar to previously published data on the natural history of their retinal degenerative disorders.