Article Text
Abstract
Background: Episodic non-ketotic hyperglycaemia in patients with diabetes may be responsible for a syndrome characterised by hemichorea-hemiballism associated with unique radiological features.
Objective: To investigate whether factors other than hyperglycaemia may be responsible for the neurological involvement.
Methods: Three patients who developed a persistent chorea-ballism syndrome triggered by a hyperglycaemic crisis were investigated. In these patients, the persistence of the involuntary movements required neuroleptic medication.
Results: T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral hyperintense lesions involving the striatum. Surprisingly, in these patients, the laboratory investigations revealed peripheral red blood cell acanthocytosis in a significant proportion of cells.
Conclusion: Compared with the large population of patients with diabetes who do not show abnormal involuntary movements, unrecognised acanthocytosis in diabetes might render patients prone to develop hemichorea-hemiballism.
- apoB, apolipoprotein B
- HCHB, hemichorea-hemiballism
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- chorea
- ballism
- diabetes
- acanthocytosis
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Footnotes
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Competing interests: none declared
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The patients gave their informed consent for this report to be published