A case of a patient with both chorea and restless legs syndrome

J Korean Med Sci. 2008 Jun;23(3):533-6. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2008.23.3.533.

Abstract

The patient was a 44-yr-old man with end-stage renal disease who had developed chorea as a result of hypoglycemic injury to the basal ganglia and thalamus and who was subsequently diagnosed with depression and restless legs syndrome (RLS). For proper management, the presence of a complex medical condition including two contrasting diseases, chorea and RLS, had to be considered. Tramadol improved the pain and dysesthetic restlessness in his feet and legs, and this was gradually followed by improvements in his depressed mood, insomnia, lethargy, and feelings of hopelessness. This case suggests that the dopaminergic system participates intricately with the opioid, serotoninergic, and noradrenergic systems in the pathophysiology of RLS and pain and indirectly of depression and insomnia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
  • Anti-Dyskinesia Agents / therapeutic use
  • Chorea / complications*
  • Chorea / pathology
  • Citalopram / therapeutic use
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Haloperidol / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / complications*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / complications*
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / drug therapy
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / pathology
  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Tramadol / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • Anti-Dyskinesia Agents
  • Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors
  • Citalopram
  • Tramadol
  • Haloperidol