CLINICAL EVALUATION OF CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH SYDENHAM CHOREA, SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Aim: Although the incidence of Sydenham's chorea (SC) has decreased significantly, especially in developed regions, it remains the most common cause of acute chorea in children worldwide. Our aim is to contribute to the literature by retrospectively examining the demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging findings, recurrence and treatments of the patients.

Material and Methods: 268 patients, aged 0-18 years, diagnosed with SC in Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Neurology Clinic between 1998-2020 were included in the study.

Results: The female/male ratio of the patients was 2:1, and the mean age was 11,3±2,3. The mean drug response time of the patients was 10,5±6,4 days. The mean duration of treatment at the first disease was 144,2±155,2 days. The mean duration of treatment for non-relapsed patients was 132,3±146,8 days, while the mean treatment time for relapsed patients at the first disease was 206±182,9 days (p=<0.001). A significant correlation was found between the time between the onset of symptoms and admission to the hospital and the recurrence of chorea (p=<0.001).

Conclusion: SC is still an important public health problem in our country. It has been concluded that the frequency of relapse increases as the time to apply to the hospital increases, the duration of treatment in the first attack of patients with relapse is longer than those who do not relapse, and the haloperidol treatment is more effective in terms of treatment time compared to other treatments.