Acupuncture Treatment for Ipsilateral Hemichorea Associated With Non-Ketotic Hyperglycemia: A Case Report

For hemichorea associated with non-ketotic hyperglycemia, hypoglycemic therapy is the most commonly used and effective treatment modality. However, some patients may still present with residual chorea-like symptoms after glycemic control. Alternative symptomatic treatments, such as dopamine receptor antagonists or antipsychotics, carry the potential to induce tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson-like extrapyramidal symptoms, and other adverse reactions. Herein, we report a rare instance of ipsilateral hemichorea where the patient's symptoms demonstrated significant improvement following a combination of acupuncture and hypoglycemic therapy. A 78-year-old female was diagnosed with HC-NH due to right limb hemichorea persisting over the past month. In conjunction with hypoglycemic treatment, acupuncture was administered. The frequency of right limb hemichorea notably decreased after 2 weeks. Acupuncture might serve as a potentially efficacious salvage treatment option for HC-NH.