Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of corticosteroid therapy for children suffering from Sydenham chorea (SC).
Methods: The design of the study was observational, retrospective and conducted at the single center of the Rheumatology Unit of Policlinic Hospital of Milan, Italy, from May 1995 to May 2022. All data about the patients were collected from medical records.
Results: From a total of 59 patients enrolled in the study (44 females and 15 males; median age 9.3 years, range 7.4-10.6 years), 49 were eligible for primary outcome analysis (10 patients were excluded due to incomplete data). Overall, 75% of patients received steroid therapy, while the remaining cases were treated with symptomatic drugs, including neuroleptics and antiseizure drugs. We found that the duration of chorea was significantly shorter in patients treated with corticosteroids in comparison to those receiving symptomatic treatment (median time: 31 vs. 41 days, = 0.023). Additionally, patients with arthritis at the onset of the disease had a longer duration of chorea than those without arthritis (median time 90.5 vs. 39 days, = 0.02). We also found that chorea recurred in 12% of the patients and seemed to be linked to a younger age at onset ( = 0.01).
Conclusions: The study suggests that corticosteroid therapy can lead to a faster resolution of SC when compared to neuroleptics and antiseizure drugs treatment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/children10020262 | DOI Listing |
Acta Paediatr
January 2025
Department of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Aim: Sydenham chorea (SC) is a globally significant, post-streptococcal, childhood neuropsychiatric condition that is rare in western Europe. This retrospective single-centre study focused on children with neuropsychiatric features of SC.
Methods: Participants were recruited from neuropsychiatry referrals to a regional paediatric neurology department in Glasgow, Scotland, from 2009 to 2012.
Transl Neurodegener
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD) are diverse in clinical presentation and are caused by complex and multiple factors, including genetic mutations and environmental factors. Numerous therapeutic approaches have been developed based on the genetic causes and potential mechanisms of ALS and HD. Currently, available treatments for various neurodegenerative diseases can alleviate symptoms but do not provide a definitive cure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Case Rep
January 2025
Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
An African American man in his early 40s with progressive gait impairment and chronic cognitive impairment initially presented to the emergency department after statements of self-harm and was hospitalised. Examination revealed notable neurological abnormalities including impaired memory recall, oral dyskinesia/choreiform movements, dystonia of the right upper extremity with drift, hyper-reflexia and spastic gait. On further evaluation, including neurology and genetics consultation and workup, a clinical diagnosis of the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease (HD) was made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCNS Drugs
January 2025
Innovative Medicines and Global Clinical Development, Teva Branded Pharmaceutical Products R&D, Inc., West Chester, PA, USA.
Background: Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes psychiatric and neurological symptoms, including involuntary and irregular muscle movements (chorea). Chorea can disrupt activities of daily living, pose safety issues, and may lead to social withdrawal. The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 inhibitors tetrabenazine, deutetrabenazine, and valbenazine are approved treatments that can reduce chorea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Structure, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Toxic protein aggregates are associated with various neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD). Since no current treatment delays the progression of HD, we develop a mechanistic approach to prevent mutant huntingtin (mHttex1) aggregation. Here, we engineer the ATP-independent cytosolic chaperone PEX19, which targets peroxisomal membrane proteins to peroxisomes, to remove mHttex1 aggregates.
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