Carbamazepine in the treatment of chorea

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of carbamazepine in children with chorea. Patients and Method: Six children (three boys, three girls, mean age 11.5 years) with the diagnosis of chorea were treated with carbamazepine (5-20 mg/kg/day). Response to the treatment was assessed based on improvement of hand-writing and Archimedes spiral test. Results: Clinical improvement was observed in all children within the first two weeks. Chorea totally disappeared in four patients. In the other two patients chorea did not disappear totally, however markedly improvement was observed. No side effects were seen. Conclusion: Carbamazepine is an efficient and safe drug in the treatment of chorea in children.