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Sydenham’s Chorea Clinical and Therapeutic Update

1997; Springer Nature; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-1-4899-1825-3_28

2214-8019

Marjorie A. Garvey, Susan E. Swedo,

Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases

First described in the late 1600's as St. Vitus' dance, Sydenham's chorea (SC) is now known to be a major manifestation of rheumatic fever. From the 1960's onward, mirroring the decline in the incidence of rheumatic fever, the number of SC cases fell dramatically worldwide. Over the past decade, however, there appears to have been a resurgence of the disorder, mainly localized to the United States10. The renewed interest in post-streptococcal chorea has been fortuitous, deepening our understanding of the role of the basal ganglia in both disorders of motor control and in neuropsychiatric diseases. This chapter reexamines the clinical features of this interesting disorder and reviews the recent developments in treatment.