title: Sydenham's chorea: clinical observations from a Brazilian movement disorder clinic.
abstract: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 100 patients suffering from Sydenham's chorea (SC). Our analysis revealed a recent, progressive decline in the number of new cases. Onset of SC was frequently reported between 7 and 12 years of age, being more frequent in females. Patients with generalized or severe chorea showed a higher risk of presenting gait abnormalities and behavioral symptoms. Chorea was transitory and remitted within the first 6 months in about 50% of patients but was persistent in 40%. Almost all patients with persistent chorea remitted after a protracted course of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Ribeirao Preto School of Medicine - USP, Neurology, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology Department, Campus Universitario, Monte Alegre, 14049-900 Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. tumasv@rnp.fmrp.usp.br
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tumas
authors.forename: Carla Tanuri
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Caldas
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Auro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nobre
authors.forename: Regina Maria França
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002819:Chorea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric