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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

A Mouse Model of Hemorrhagic Transformation Induced by Acute Hyperglycemia Combined with Transient Focal Ischemia
Published on: November 15, 2024
Hemichorea Associated With Nonketotic Hyperglycemia
Xiaoming Chen1, Choudi Ma1, Lijin Zhi1
1Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, 524001, China.
Context:
Hemichorea associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia (HC-NH) is a rare diabetic complication for which the pathogenesis remains unclear.
Objective:
This study reported 16 cases of HC-NH to improve the understanding of the disease and avoid misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.
Methods:
Data of 16 patients with HC-NH in a single center from 2000 to 2021 were analyzed retrospectively, and the relevant literature was reviewed.
Results:
The participants (8 men and 8 women) had a mean age of 67.6 ± 16.4 years. Bilateral limbs were involved in 2 cases, and the others had hemichorea (6 in the left side and 8 in the right side). The average random blood glucose level was 17.51 ± 7.67 mmol/L, and the glycated hemoglobin A1c level was 11.9%±3.1% at admission. Eleven patients had a history of diabetes, and the other 5 patients were diagnosed with new-onset diabetes mellitus, but no remarkable differences were observed in the presentation or treatment of chorea. Ketonuria was detected in 7 patients. The basal ganglia (putamen, globus pallidus, and caudate nucleus) of 9 cases had typical hyperdensity on computed tomography and/or hyperintensity signals from magnetic resonance imaging. The chorea symptoms of 15 patients improved within 5.0 ± 1.9 days after treatment.
Conclusion:
This study provides additional valuable information about the clinical and neuroimaging features of HC-NH. We hypothesize that chronic ischemia of the basal ganglia due to cerebral atherosclerosis combined with hyperglycemia is associated with HC-NH.
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