- chorea
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—choreal, choreic, choreatic /kawr'ee at"ik, kohr'-/, adj. —choreoid /kawr"ee oyd', kohr"-/, adj./keuh ree"euh, kaw-, koh-/, n. Pathol.1. any of several diseases of the nervous system characterized by jerky, involuntary movements, chiefly of the face and extremities.2. Also called St. Vitus's dance. such a disease occurring chiefly in children and associated with rheumatic fever.3. Vet. Pathol. a disease of the central nervous system caused by bacterial or organic degeneration, most common in dogs following canine distemper, characterized by irregular, jerky, involuntary muscular movements.[1680-90; < Gk choreía a dance, equiv. to chor(ós) CHORUS + -eia -Y3]
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Neurological disorder causing irregular, involuntary, purposeless movements.It is believed to be caused by degeneration of the basal ganglia in the cerebral cortex. Sydenham chorea (St. Vitus dance) is usually associated with rheumatic fever. It usually occurs between ages 5 and 15, more often in girls. Typical jerking movements, mostly in the extremities and face, may affect speech and swallowing and range from mild to incapacitating; attacks last several weeks and recur frequently. Senile chorea, a progressive disease resembling Sydenham chorea, usually occurs late in life. Huntington chorea is rare, hereditary, and fatal. It usually begins between ages 35 and 50 and progresses to random, often violent, and eventually totally incapacitating spasms, absent only during sleep. Mental deterioration begins later, and death occurs in 10–20 years. There is no effective therapy. Children of those afflicted have a 50% chance of developing the illness.* * *
also called Hyperkinesia,in dogs, a disorder in which muscle spasms are prominent. It is usually associated with distemper, encephalitis, or other diseases and often appears during the convalescent period. Jaw spasms may interfere with eating, and extreme exhaustion follows severe episodes in which the dog cannot sleep. Treatment involves good nutrition, vitamin supplements, and sedation. Antispasmodic drugs and muscle relaxants are used to relieve the symptoms.neurological disorder characterized by irregular and involuntary movements of muscle groups in various parts of the body. The principal types of chorea are Sydenham chorea (St. Vitus dance) and Huntington disease.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
