Can someone tell me what chorea looks like?

[Worried_Dad]

Even when my son was diagnosed with SC, he did not have "classic chorea." Instead of the wavy, undulating movements, he had the rapid, jerky, purposeless movements of all limbs. And they weren't continuous, as I guess SC is supposed to be: they were episodic. Frankly, at their worst, they looked more like a seizure. (Even had a nurse at one children's hospital ask if our son was "having a seizure" at one point early in our adventure.) And he never had the "milkmaid's grip."

 

Problem is, I think the characteristics of "chorea" can vary widely from child to child. I remember finding this on the NIH NINDS web site:

 

Symptoms can appear gradually or all at once, and also may include uncoordinated movements, muscular weakness, stumbling and falling, slurred speech, difficulty concentrating and writing, and emotional instability. The symptoms of SD can vary from a halting gait and slight grimacing to involuntary movements that are frequent and severe enough to be incapacitating.

 

So it doesn't seem like a "one size fits all" kind of deal, eh?