Restless legs syndrome: association with streptococcal or mycoplasma infection.
Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections have been reported to cause neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as chorea, tics, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, presumably through autoimmune damage to basal ganglia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections have also been reported to cause damage to the basal ganglia. Restless legs syndrome is a movement disorder with focal restlessness, an irresistible desire to move, and exacerbation by long periods of sitting or lying. We present three children with transient restless legs syndrome-like symptoms possibly associated with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection or Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. One of three patients had persistently elevated enzyme-linked immunosorbent optical density values against human caudate and putamen.
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan.
Muneaki
M
Matsuo
Katsunori
K
Tsuchiya
Yuhei
Y
Hamasaki
Harvey S
HS
Singer
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes