What is chorea?

What is chorea?

Chorea is a movement disorder that causes involuntary, irregular, unpredictable muscle movements. The disorder can make you look like you’re dancing (the word chorea comes from the Greek word for “dance”) or look restless or fidgety.

Chorea is a movement problem that occurs in many different diseases and conditions. Chorea itself isn’t life-threatening, but it could be a sign of a neurological disease such as Huntington’s disease. Doctors can prescribe medication to control the abnormal muscle movements. Depending on the underlying cause, chorea may be temporary or be ongoing and get worse over time.

At least two other movements related to chorea are seen in neurological diseases.

• Athetosis is a continuous stream of slow, twisting or squirming-like motions usually involving the hands and feet.
• Ballimus usually involves more intense movements such as wild flinging of one arm or leg. Usually the movements only affect one side of the body (hemiballism).