Noorul Iman, Humera Khan, Yousaf Khan, Mohammad Tariq.
Chorea Revisited.
Infect Dis J Jan ;17(3):84-6.

Objectives: To re-evaluate the clinical signs and etiology of chorea in the modern era of antibiotics and health delivery system. Material and Methods: This prospective descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from January 2001 to April 2008. Twenty eight patients presenting with chorea were included in the study. Patients were thoroughly examined for various clinical signs and their distribution. Relevant investigations were done to confirm etiology of chorea. Results: Rheumatic chorea was the commonest (14 patients, 50%) among 28 patients in total. Most patients were in the age range of 11- 20 years (42.9%). Male to female ratio was 1.3:1. Generalized chorea was seen in 20 patients (71.4%), hemi chorea in five patients (17.7%) and focal chorea in three patients (10.7%). Right sided chorea (Pure / predominant, focal / generalized) was more common i.e. 14 (50%). Milkmaid grip was seen in 25 (89.3%), piano movements were present in 24 (85.7%) and tongue signs in 18 (64.3%). Pendular deep tendon reflexes were found in seven patients (25%). Conclusions: Rheumatic chorea is still the commonest cause of chorea and involuntary movements are more common in right sided limbs.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com