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Athetosis is a symptom primarily caused by the marbling, or degeneration of the basal ganglia. [citation needed] This degeneration is most commonly caused by complications at birth or by Huntington's disease, in addition to rare cases in which the damage may also arise later in life due to stroke or trauma.
Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD), also called paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC), is a rare hyperkinetic movement disorder of the paroxysmal dyskinesias characterized by attacks of involuntary movements, which are triggered by sudden voluntary movements.
These motor fluctuations occur in up to 80% of PD patients after 5–10 years of l-DOPA treatment, [2] with the percentage of affected patients increasing over time. [3] Based on the relationship with levodopa dosing, dyskinesia most commonly occurs at the time of peak l-DOPA plasma concentrations and is thus referred to as peak-dose dyskinesia ...
Symptoms are most severe in youth and lessen with age. Sufferers can have multiple attacks on a daily basis or may have periods of weeks or months between attacks. Symptoms experienced during attacks can vary and include dystonia, chorea, athetosis, ballismus, or a combination. [3]
Choreoathetosis is also a common presentation of dyskinesia as a side effect of levodopa-carbidopa in the treatment of Parkinson disease. [ 1 ] The use of crack cocaine or amphetamines can result in conditions nicknamed crack dancing , or tweaking respectively, described as choreoathetoid.
Such contractile movements include dystonia, chorea, athetosis, and ballism. For example, “Her attacks were characterized as sudden unilateral stiffness of upper and lower limbs followed by an involuntary extrarotation of the arm and leg.” [ 3 ] Another frequently occurring symptom is the presence of an aura before the attack.
Chorea is characterized by brief, semi-directed, irregular movements that are not repetitive or rhythmic, but appear to flow from one muscle to the next. These 'dance-like' movements of chorea often occur with athetosis, which adds twisting and writhing movements. Walking may become difficult and include odd postures and leg movements.
Management options can be subdivided into medical treatment and rehabilitation interventions. Medical treatment consists of oral medication and surgery. Before using oral drugs, it is important to differentiate between spasticity, dystonia and choreoathetosis since each motor disorder has a specific approach.