Elevation of 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine in the cerebrospinal fluid of three patients with superficial siderosis

Superficial siderosis is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system in which chronic intrathecal bleeding leads to hemosiderin deposition in the brain and spinal cord. Although it is hypothesized that oxidative stress caused by deposited iron contributes to the pathomechanism of superficial siderosis, there is a paucity of research supporting this hypothesis. We examined the cerebrospinal fluid of three patients with superficial siderosis for the oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine. The origin of bleeding was identified in two of the three patients, who subsequently underwent surgical treatment. We detected elevated 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of all three patients that remained high in two patients, even after surgical treatment. Elevated 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine levels suggest that oxidative stress is involved in the pathomechanism of superficial siderosis.