Saint Vitus Dance is a disease characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements affecting primarily the face, feet and hands. It is reported to occur in 20-30% of patients with acute rheumatic fever. This disease can occur up to six months after an onset of rheumatic fever, usually in girls ages 5-15.
“Saint Vitus Dance” is in reference to Saint Vitus, the patron saint of dancers from Sicily who was persecuted by Roman emperors and died as a martyr in AD 303. The term Chorea Saint Viti was originally used for dancing mania. Chorea comes from the Greco-Latin word implying the act of dancing. The word chorea was first applied to the frenzied dancing movements of religious fanatics who journeyed to the healing shrine of St. Vitus during the Middle Ages during the feast of Saint Vitus in Germanic and Latvian cultures.The disease was later described in medical literature in 1686 by Dr. Thomas Sydenham, a great English physician, after whom the syndrome is now named.
Although Sydenham’s Chorea (aka St. Vitus dance) is relatively rare in North America, there have been cases in Europe and other third-world countries. One case was reported in Holland (2009). The disease lasted for six months, with the 12-year-old girl fully recovering. “For eight weeks she was disabled, unable to control movement in her limbs or face, and speech was unintelligible,” reports her mother. The coordination of her eyes for reading recovered two months after going back to school, and her handwriting recovered gradually during the next twelve months. We saw a family counselor for support and prayed often. God answered, and she has no long term problems.”
In the past, some linked St. Vitus dance with Huntington’s disease, but it should not be confused with the genetic defect that affects devastation on the brain cells. Although Huntington’s also has symptoms of facial grimaces, wild jerking of the limbs or unsteady gait like St. Vitus dance, it causes much more permanent damage due to brain cell deterioration.
What Causes St. Vitus Dance?
The agitated uncontrollable movements of St. Vitus’ dance are one of the symptoms arising from a bout with rheumatic fever. Acute rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which can develop after an infection such as strep throat with certain strains of streptococcal bacteria. These particular germs create an immune response that attacks the body’s own tissues in the nerves, joints, heart valves, skin, and brain.
Rheumatic fever may appear in several different forms. Sydenham’s Chorea (SD), or St. Vitus dance, is one of five “major criteria” for the diagnosis of rheumatic fever. According to the National Institutes of Health, SD is characterized by a disturbance in the central nervous system invoking aimless involuntary movements of the arms, legs, trunk and facial muscles. It may be associated with emotional instability and inappropriate behavior. Stumbling, falling, or slurred speech can also be part of SD that is worse when trying to repress it but disappears with sleep.
There is no specific treatment for Sydenham chorea. However, anti-epileptic medications, tranquilizers or sedatives may be prescribed to ease the frenzied motions. Rheumatic fever is a post-infectious immune process, not an infection. Therefore, antibiotics will do nothing to cure rheumatic fever. Anti-inflammatory drugs will help keep the process at bay, and antibiotics, such as penicillin will help prevent future episodes of strep throat. Some children recovering from the affects of St. Vitus dance must remain on a penicillin regimen until adulthood to guard their immune system.
