What causes Sydenham chorea?
Sydenham chorea (SC) is a neurological disorder of childhood resulting from infection via Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS), the bacterium that causes rheumatic fever. SC is characterized by rapid, irregular, and aimless involuntary movements of the arms and legs, trunk, and facial muscles.
What is the treatment Sydenham chorea?
Suggested treatments of chorea in SC include prophylactic penicillin, symptomatic (antipsychotic and anticonvulsant) medications, and immunomodulatory therapy (steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and plasma exchange).
What is St. Vitus dance called now?
We start with a disease originally known as St. Vitus dance but is now called Sydenham chorea . This childhood movement disorder is an inflammatory response to strep throat or rheumatic fever and is characterized by rapid, involuntary, irregular movements of all muscles except those that move the eyes.
How rare is Sydenham’s chorea?
Approximately, 25 percent of individuals with rheumatic fever develop Sydenham chorea. The incidence of rheumatic fever in North America declined steadily in the past 50 years, although there have been occasional outbreaks. Sydenham chorea is the most common cause of acute chorea during childhood in the United States.
Can Sydenham be cured?
Treatment. There is no specific treatment for Sydenham’s chorea and symptoms usually resolve themselves in approximately 3 to 6 months. Bed rest, sedatives and medication to control movements may be prescribed. Penicillin prophylaxis may also be prescribed to avoid further streptococcal infection.
What are the symptoms of Sydenham chorea?
Sydenham chorea mainly involves jerky, uncontrollable and purposeless movements of the hands, arms, shoulder, face, legs, and trunk. These movements look like twitches, and disappear during sleep. Other symptoms may include: Changes in handwriting.
Is Sydenham’s chorea curable?
The prognosis for individuals with chorea varies depending on the type of chorea and the associated disease. Huntington’s disease is a progressive, and ultimately, fatal disease. Sydenham’s chorea is treatable and curable.
Do people still get St. Vitus dance?
In the current nomenclature Saint Vitus’ dance or chorea (from the Greek χορεíα for dance) has been largely displaced by the eponym Sydenham’s chorea.
Is there a cure for Saint Vitus dance?
What does Sydenham chorea look like?
How do you test for Sydenham chorea?
How is Sydenham chorea diagnosed? Healthcare providers ask about your child’s medical history, symptoms and potential exposure to group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus. A blood test to detect strep antibodies may support the diagnosis.
How do you get chorea disease?
Chorea is an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias, which are caused by overactivity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the areas of the brain that control movement.
Why is St Vitus dance so called?
The name St. Vitus Dance derives from the late Middle Ages, when persons with the disease attended the chapels of St. Vitus, who was believed to have curative powers. The disorder was first explained by the English physician Thomas Sydenham.