Choreoathetosis is a disease, a combination of chorea (fast, jerky movements) and athetosis (slow convulsive movements). These two types of pathological movements ( chorea and athetosis ) coexist, although one of the components can be more pronounced.
The disease can affect people of any age or gender. Most likely, this disorder will have people from 15 to 35 years old. Although some cases of choreoathetosis are short-lived, more severe episodes may persist for years. The condition may occur suddenly or develop over time.
Symptoms of choreoathetosis are easily recognized, they include:
- muscle tension
- involuntary twitching;
- fixed position of the hand;
- uncontrolled muscle tremors;
- abnormal movements of the body or individual parts of the body;
- consecutive convulsive movements.
Episodes of choreoathetosis can occur randomly, but there are some factors that can trigger such an episode, for example, the use of caffeine, alcohol or stress. Before an attack, you may feel your muscles begin to tighten, or other physical symptoms. Attacks can last from 10 seconds to an hour.
Etiology
The cause of the disease can be various pathological processes in which the striatum of the brain is involved. The following groups of disorders can be distinguished, accompanied by choreoathetosis.
- Inherited diseases ( hepatocerebral dystrophy , paroxysmal familial choreoathetosis , Huntington's chorea , ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 , 3-methylglutaconylaciduria )
- Neurodegenerative diseases ( multiple sclerosis )
- Fronto-lobar epilepsy .
- Infectious diseases with striatal affection Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease .
- Cerebral palsy
- Toxic brain damage ( antipsychotic drugs ).
- Tumors of the brain with localization of the process in the striatum
Treatment
Treatment options address the symptoms of this condition. Treatment also depends on the root cause - the condition that caused the disease. Usually used in treatment:
- benzodiazepine preparations ,
- reserpine
- low doses of antipsychotics
- anticonvulsants ( diphenin , lamotrigine )
Literature
- Diseases of the nervous system. Edited by N. N. Yakhno, D. R. Shtulman, P. V. Melnichuk. Moscow. "Medicine" 1995
- Choreoathetosis. Per. from English N. D. Firsova (2018)