[Possible role of altered levels of plasma docosahexaenoic acid in the pathogenesis of retinitis pigmentosa. Preliminary results].

Plasma samples obtained from Retinitis Pigmentosa (R.P.) patients and controls were assayed for docosahexaenoic acid (DXA), the major fatty acid in photoreceptor cells, in order to evaluate the possibility that abnormalities in PUFA metabolism could be involved in R.P. pathogenesis. Our preliminary results show levels of plasma DXA in dominantly inherited R.P. lower than in the recessive forms and controls.