Hemiballismus or hemiballism is a basal ganglia syndrome resulting from damage to the subthalamic nucleus in the basal ganglia. Hemiballismus is a rare hyperkinetic movement disorder, that is characterized by violent involuntary limb movements, on one side of the body, and can cause significant disability. Ballismus affects both sides of the body and is much rarer. Symptoms can decrease during sleep.Hemiballismus differs from chorea in that the movements occur in the proximal limbs whereas in chorea the limb movements are in the distal limbs. Also in chorea the movements are more dance-like, flowing from one region to another. Presentation
Ballism was defined by Meyers in 1968 as "Repetitive, but constantly varying, large amplitude involuntary movements of the proximal parts of the limbs. This activity is almost ceaseless and movements are often complex and combined". Hemiballismus is usually characterized by involuntary flinging motions of the extremities. The movements are often violent and have wide amplitudes of motion. They are continuous and random and can involve proximal or distal muscles on one side of the body. Some cases even include the facial muscles. It is common for arms and legs to move together. The more a patient is active, the more the movements increase. With relaxation comes a decrease in movements. Physicians can measure the severity of the disorder by having the patient perform a series of basic, predetermined tasks and counting the hemiballistic movements during a set time session. The physicians then rate the patient on a severity scale.
Tyrosinemia type I is a genetic disorder that disrupts the metabolism of the amino acid tyrosine, resulting in damage primarily to the liver along with the kidneys and peripheral nerves. The inability of cells to process tyrosine can lead to chronic liver damage ending in liver failure, as well as renal disease and rickets. Symptoms such as poor growth and enlarged liver are associated with the clinical presentation of the disease. Clinical manifestation of disease occurs typically within the first two years of life. The severity of the disease is correlated with the timing of onset of symptoms, earlier being more severe.Tyrosinemia type I is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in both copies of the gene encoding the enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH). FAH is a metabolic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of fumarylacetoacetate to fumarate and acetoacetate. It is expressed primarily in the liver and kidney. Loss of FAH activity results in the accumulation of certain metabolic intermediates in the tyrosine catabolic pathway. These compounds are toxic to cells and lead to differential gene expression and apoptosis in high concentrations. HT1 is diagnosed when elevated levels of succinylacetone (SA), one of the metabolites in this pathway, is detected in blood and urine samples.While there is no cure for tyrosinemia type I, management of the disease is possible utilizing dietary restrictions and medications. A diet low in tyrosine and phenylalanine is utilized indefinitely once a diagnosis is suspected or confirmed.