Pharmacotherapy for Sydenham's chorea: where are we and where do we need to be?

Expert Opin Pharmacother

Neurology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.

Published: November 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • Sydenham's chorea (SC) is the leading cause of acquired chorea in children, previously considered benign, but recent studies reveal lasting neuropsychiatric and cognitive issues into adulthood.
  • Research involved analyzing 165 studies on SC treatment, highlighting three main treatment types: antibiotics, symptomatic, and immunomodulatory therapies, with a special focus on management during pregnancy.
  • To manage SC effectively, primary prevention of streptococcal infections is crucial, and secondary prophylaxis should be administered according to WHO guidelines, while more research is necessary to fully understand its causes and develop better treatments.

Article Abstract

Introduction: Sydenham's chorea (SC) is the most common cause of acquired chorea in children. The existing literature describes it as a benign, self-remitting condition. However, recent evidence discloses the persistence of long-course neuropsychiatric and cognitive complications in adulthood, which imposes to redefine the concept of 'benignity' of such condition. In addition, therapies are mostly empirical and non-evidence based.

Areas Covered: Here, we conducted an electronic exploration of the PubMed database and selected 165 relevant studies directly correlated to SC treatment. Critical data from selected articles were synthesized to provide an update on pharmacotherapy in SC, which basically consists of three pillars: antibiotic, symptomatic and immunomodulant treatments. Moreover, since SC mostly affects females with recurrences occurring in pregnancy (chorea gravidarum), we focused on the management in pregnancy.

Expert Opinion: SC is still a major burden in developing countries. The first therapeutic strategy should be the primary prevention of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infection. Secondary antibiotic prophylaxis should be performed in every SC patient as the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend. Symptomatic or immunomodulant treatments are administered according to clinical judgment. However, a greater effort to understand SC physiopathology is needed, together with larger trials, to outline appropriate therapeutic indications.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2023.2216380DOI Listing

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