The 20-item Leyton Obsessional Inventory--Child Version was completed by
children and adolescents who had had Sydenham's chorea (N = 23) or
rheumatic fever without chorea (N = 14). The Sydenham's chorea subjects had
significantly more obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors and
significantly greater interference from these behaviors. Three Sydenham's
chorea patients but no rheumatic fever patients had substantial obsessional
interference and met criteria for obsessive- compulsive disorder when
interviewed by telephone. This suggests that obsessive-compulsive disorder,
at least in some patients, may be due to basal ganglia dysfunction.Abstract Teaser