Sydenham's chorea: a new look at an old disease

Eight children with Sydenham's chorea were studied to illustrate the clinical characteristics and the outcome of the disease. Their ages ranged from 8 to 13 years and the male to female ratio was 1.7:1. Most of them had hemichorea, which frequently affected the right side of the body. The common presenting manifestations were involuntary movements, facial grimacing, clumsiness, and emotional instability. The duration of chorea ranged from one week to three years, with a median of 11 weeks. One half of the patients had associated mild carditis. Recurrences of chorea occurred only among patients who were not maintained on continuous penicillin prophylaxis. Haloperidol seemed to be an effective and tolerable agent in controlling the motor manifestations of the disease.