Skip to main content

Sydenham’s Chorea Clinical and Therapeutic Update

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 418))

Abstract

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Aron A. Sydenham’s chorea. 1991:(UnPub).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Berrios X, Quesney F, Morales A, Blazquez J, Bisno AL. Are all recurrences of “pure” Sydenham’s chorea true recurrences of acute rheumatic fever?. The Journal of Pediatrics 1985;86 7–872.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Chapman AH, Pilkey L, Gibbons MJ. A psychosomatic study of eight children with Sydenham’s chorea. Pediatrics 1958;21:582–595.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Freeman JM, Aron AM, Collard JE, MacKay MC. The emotional correlates of Sydenham’s chorea. Pediatrics 1965;35:42–49.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Garvey MA, Swedo SE. Unpublished data.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Giedd JN, Rapoport JL, Kruesi M.J.P., et al. Sydenham’s Chorea: Magnetic resonance imaging of the basal ganglia. Neurology 1995;45:2199–2202.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Grimshaw L. Obsessional disorder and neurological illness. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1964; 27:229–231.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hallett M, Kaufman C. Physiological observations in Sydenham’s chorea. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1981;44:829–832.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Husby G, van de Rijn I, Zabriskie JB, Abdin ZH, Williams RC. Antibodies reacting with cytoplasm of sub-thalamic and caudate nuclei neurons in chorea and acute rheumatic fever. The Journal of Experimental Medicine 1976; 144:1094–1110.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kaplan EL. Recent epidemiology of group A Streptococcal infections in North America and abraod: an overview. Pediatrics 1996;97:945–948.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Nausieda PA, Bieliauskas LA, Bacon LD, Hagerty M, Koller WC, Glantz RN. Chronic dopaminergic sensitivity after Sydenham’s chorea. Neurology 1983;33:750–754.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. NIH Consensus Group. Conference on intravenous immunoglobulin. In: National Institutes of Health consensus development conference statement. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  13. Swedo SE, Kilpatrick K, Schapiro MB, et al. Antineuronal antibodies (AnA) in sydenham’s chorea (SC) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Pediatric Research 1991;29:364A.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Swedo SE, Rapoport JL, Cheslow DL, et al. High prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with Sydenham’s chorea. American Journal of Psychiatry 1989; 146:246–249.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Swedo SE, Schapiro MB, Leonard HL, et al. Sydenham’s chorea: Physical and psychological symptoms of St. Vitus dance. Pediatrics 1993;91:706–713.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Thiebaut F. Sydenham’s chorea. In: Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW, eds. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Amsterdam409-434, 1968.: North Holland Publishing Company, 1996:409-434.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Yanagisawa N, Tsukagoshi H, Toyokura Y. Movement disorders of Sydenham’s chorea. No To Shinkei 1976;28:651–660.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Garvey, M.A., Swedo, S.E. (1997). Sydenham’s Chorea Clinical and Therapeutic Update. In: Horaud, T., Bouvet, A., Leclercq, R., de Montclos, H., Sicard, M. (eds) Streptococci and the Host. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 418. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1825-3_28

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1825-3_28

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1827-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1825-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics