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.
Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Choreo-dystonia, Case report, Hyperglycemia, Involuntary movement