title: Nutritional vitamin D deficiency presenting as hemichorea.
abstract: The authors describe a pediatric patient with repaired hypoplastic left heart syndrome developing protein-losing enteropathy, hypocalcemia, vitamin D deficiency, and hemichorea. After correction of nutritional vitamin D deficiency with calcium and vitamin D supplementation, the chorea resolved. Hypoalbuminemia also improved after the correction of vitamin D deficiency without requiring albumin infusions. This report also raises the possible role of calcium or vitamin D in the intestinal loss of albumin in protein-losing enteropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics/Division of Pediatric Neurology, The Children's Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35233, USA. rfernandez@peds.uab.edu
authors.forename: Romeo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Ambika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: Leon S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Dure
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002819:Chorea / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*