Elucidation of the clinical traits of diabetic chorea through a questionnaire survey of people with diabetic chorea from 59 Japanese hospitals

Aims: Diabetic chorea refers to sudden involuntary movements developing in people with diabetes mellitus and is known to occur mainly in those with severe hyperglycemia. We conducted a questionnaire survey of case-reporting facilities in Japan to elucidate their clinical characteristics.

Methods: We searched the PubMed and Ichushi databases for case reports published from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, using "diabetes" and "chorea" as keywords, and sent a questionnaire to the reporting institutions.

Results: Data from a total of 64 cases were included in this study. While most cases had severe hyperglycemia at the onset of diabetic chorea, hypoglycemia/improvement of the plasma glucose served as the trigger for the symptom in 14 cases (21.9%). The Early Remission Group (≤6 months) consisted of 39 cases (60.9%), while the Prolonged Partial Remission Group (>6 months) included 25 cases (39.1%). In the Prolonged Partial Remission Group (>6 months), there were more cases with widespread involuntary movement symptoms, a higher number of cases exhibiting typical imaging findings, and a greater incidence of chorea onset after the initiation of antidiabetic treatment, including hypoglycemia.

Conclusions: Most reported cases of diabetic chorea in Japan were elderly persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus and severe hyperglycemia, although there were also some cases in which the symptom developed in the setting of hypoglycemia. It has been suggested that rapid plasma glucose correction and hypoglycemia might be associated with the risk of development and prognosis of diabetic chorea.