Chorea gravidarum. Report of a fatal case with neuropathological observations

K. Ichikawa, R. C. Kim, H. Givelber and G. H. Collins

In a 23-year-old primigravida with no prior history of rheumatic fever, choreiform movements developed late in the third trimester, and she died in a state of hyperthermia 14 days later. Results of neuropathological examination showed, as the basis for the chorea, nerve cell loss and astrocytosis within the striatum (especially the caudate nucleus). Anaylsis of the case in conjunction with a review of the literature strongly suggests that chorea gravidarum should be regarded as a syndrome rather than a specific disease entity.