How Is Chorea Treated?
Chorea is a movement disorder causes involuntary, unpredictable, and abnormal body movements. It has multiple possible causes, including AIDS, genetic conditions like Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, certain infections like rheumatic fever, specific medications such as neuroleptics and levodopa, endocrine disorders like hypoglycemia, metabolic disorders, and pregnancy. Symptoms of chorea can cause mild to severe interference with an individual's ability to speak, swallow, maintain proper posture, and uphold a normal gait. Chorea is diagnosed using a thorough physical exam, extensive family and medical history, blood count tests, hormone level tests, antibody testing, toxin testing, genetic testing, CT scans, urine tests, MRI scans, performance testing, and neurological evaluations.
Several methods can be utilized to treat chorea. Learn about them now.
Antipsychotic Medication
An individual affected by chorea may need to take antipsychotic medication to treat their condition. Antipsychotic medication and neuroleptic medication are terms used to describe a group of medications mainly used to treat psychosis. However, these medications are also the most widely used pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of chorea. The exact mechanism of these medications is not clear, but it is thought to be associated with the inhibition of overactive dopamine receptors in the brain. Neuroleptics or antipsychotics are referred to as dopamine antagonists and have shown the best efficacy in patients who have chorea due to Huntington's disease. There are two types of antipsychotic or neuroleptic medications. Fluphenazine and haloperidol are considered typical neuroleptic medications, and olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and clozapine are considered atypical neuroleptic medications. Antipsychotic medications are used most often in patients who have chorea along with other psychiatric symptoms, including depression, psychosis, and aggressive behavior.
Keep reading to reveal more ways to treat chorea now.