What is Vitus dance?

Vitus Dance, chorea minor, infectious chorea, or rheumatic chorea, a neurological disorder characterized by irregular and involuntary movements of muscle groups in various parts of the body that follow streptococcal infection.

What causes Saint Vitus dance?

We start with a disease originally known as St. Vitus dance but is now called Sydenham chorea . This childhood movement disorder is an inflammatory response to strep throat or rheumatic fever and is characterized by rapid, involuntary, irregular movements of all muscles except those that move the eyes.

What illness is St. Vitus dance?

Sydenham chorea, also known as St. Vitus dance, is a neuropsychiatric manifestation of rheumatic fever with an incidence varying from 5 to 35%. It may occur alone or concomitantly with other manifestations of rheumatic fever.

Does St. Vitus dance still exist?

In the current nomenclature Saint Vitus' dance or chorea (from the Greek χορεíα for dance) has been largely displaced by the eponym Sydenham's chorea.

Is St. Vitus dance the same as Huntington's disease?

HD History

HD was known as Huntington's chorea and Saint Vitus's dance in the past.

SYDENHAM CHOREA, St. vitus dance

What is the modern name for St. Vitus dance?

Sydenham's chorea, also known as chorea minor and historically and occasionally referred to as St Vitus' dance, is a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements primarily affecting the face, hands and feet.

How long did St. Vitus dance last?

Vitus' Dance, back in 1374, groups of people -- sometimes thousands at a time -- started dancing uncontrollably. It continued for days, and in some cases, weeks and months. Some people reportedly danced until they collapsed from exhaustion or even death, while others suffered heart attacks and broken bones.

What is St. Vitus known for?

St. Vitus is widely venerated as the patron saint of epilepsy. He is also the patron saint of dancers, actors, comedians, oversleeping, boilermakers, Sydenham's chorea (Saint Vitus' Dance), and several cities including Prague and Rijeka.

Can St. Vitus dance be cured?

Treatment. There is no specific treatment for Sydenham's chorea and symptoms usually resolve themselves in approximately 3 to 6 months. Bed rest, sedatives and medication to control movements may be prescribed. Penicillin prophylaxis may also be prescribed to avoid further streptococcal infection.

Is Sydenham chorea permanent?

Because Sydenham chorea is a complication of rheumatic fever, some individuals will have additional symptoms of joint arthritis or arthralgia, inflammation of the heart valves causing permanent damage to the valves, and ongoing fever. Sydenham chorea symptoms usually resolve within three weeks to six months.

What does Sydenham chorea look like?

Sydenham chorea mainly involves jerky, uncontrollable and purposeless movements of the hands, arms, shoulder, face, legs, and trunk. These movements look like twitches, and disappear during sleep. Other symptoms may include: Changes in handwriting.

How do you spell Vitus?

How do you say this word diphtheria?

When is Saint Vitus Day?

"Saint Vitus Day") is a Serbian national and religious holiday, a slava (feast day) celebrated on 28 June (Gregorian calendar), or 15 June according to the Julian calendar.

What is Sydenham chorea?

Definition. Sydenham chorea (SC) is a neurological disorder of childhood resulting from infection via Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS), the bacterium that causes rheumatic fever. SC is characterized by rapid, irregular, and aimless involuntary movements of the arms and legs, trunk, and facial muscles.

Is cholera contagious yes or no?

Cholera is highly contagious. Cholera can be transferred person to person by infected fecal matter entering a mouth or by water or food contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The organisms can survive well in salty waters and can contaminate humans and other organisms that contact or swim in the water.

What is the other name of cholera?

Cholera. Other names. Asiatic cholera, epidemic cholera.

Is Sydenham chorea reversible?

Sydenham's chorea is a common cause of reversible chorea in childhood, seen after a streptococcal throat infection.

What triggers chorea?

Definition. Chorea is an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias, which are caused by overactivity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the areas of the brain that control movement.

Can anxiety cause chorea?

Chorea is usually worsened by anxiety and stress and subsides during sleep. Most patients attempt to disguise chorea by incorporating it into a purposeful activity.

How do you get Saint Vitus dance?

Vitus Dance, chorea minor, infectious chorea, or rheumatic chorea, a neurological disorder characterized by irregular and involuntary movements of muscle groups in various parts of the body that follow streptococcal infection.