Acute choreo-dystonia in a newly diagnosed patient with diabetes mellitus: A case report and review of literature

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a disease with diverse macrovascular and microvascular consequences. One of the unusual effects of  hyperglycemia is involuntary movement, termed hyperglycemia-induced involuntary movement. This could range from hemibalismus,  chorea, choreo-atethosis, tremors to dystonia. Chorea associated with dystonia is a less commonly reported manifestation. When it is  focal, it can be misdiagnosed as stroke or seizure disorder. To the best our knowledge, there is hitherto no case report in sub-Saharan  Africa describing the occurrence of focal choreo-dystonia in type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Case presentation: Here, we present a case of a  middle-aged Nigerian woman with focal choreo-dystonia of the right upper limb accompanying the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.  Achieving euglycemia with insulin resulted in complete resolution of the choreo-dystonia.

Conclusion: Doctors in resource-constrained  settings should be aware of this presentation to avoid misdiagnosis and to provide prompt and goal-oriented management with a view to  reducing morbidity and attendant health-care costs.