Valvular heart disease

There is no doubt about the close relationship of chorea to rheumatic fever in many cases. The majority of children with chorea either show evidence of rheumatic valvular disease or develop such evidence subsequently. The clinical features suggest involvement of the basal ganglia, and when the opportunity for study has occurred changes suggesting encephalitis in this region of the brain have been found, although they are surprisingly mild. For this reason the clinical features of chorea are surprisingly mild. For this reason the clinical features of chorea are described under the Diseases of the Nervous System.