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Case Reports
. 2011 Oct 4:2011:bcr0820114641.
doi: 10.1136/bcr.08.2011.4641.

Permanent haemichorea associated with transient hyperglycemia

Hannah Slabu  1 , Sheila Savedia-Cayabyab, Peter Senior, Terra Arnason
Affiliations
Case Reports

Permanent haemichorea associated with transient hyperglycemia

Hannah Slabu et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Hyperglycemia is associated with several common neurological syndromes. Chorea, however, is a rare association that has only been documented in the literature recently. The triad of chorea, non-ketotic hyperglycemia and a high signal basal ganglia lesion on the T1 weighted brain MRI (C-H-BG) is considered to be a unique syndrome. C-H-BG refers to the onset of chorea during or shortly after (days to weeks) an episode of non-ketotic hyperglycemia. There is usually a high signal lesion in the basal ganglia on T1 weighted brain MRI that corresponds to the location of the chorea. Most case reports of C-H-BG have been described in Asians. C-H-BG is considered to be a benign condition in which the clinical and MRI signs resolve quickly upon correction of blood glucose levels. Here, the authors describe a case of C-H-BG in a middle aged Caucasian in whom the chorea did not resolve with improved glycemic control.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Laboratory investigations performed to address the differential diagnosis of new onset chorea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
T1 weighted MRI of the brain demonstrating increased signal intensity of the left basal ganglia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clinical, historical and temporal considerations towards identifying the aetiology of chorea.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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