Differential Diagnosis for Violent Whole Body Movement with Prolonged Unconsciousness
- Single most likely diagnosis:
- Status Epilepticus: This condition is characterized by prolonged or recurrent seizures without full recovery between them. The violent whole body movements and prolonged unconsciousness are consistent with generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, which can also present with ballism in some cases.
- Other Likely diagnoses:
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: This condition can result from a lack of oxygen to the brain and can cause seizures, unconsciousness, and violent movements due to the brain's attempt to recover.
- Metabolic Encephalopathy: Conditions such as hepatic encephalopathy or uremic encephalopathy can cause altered mental status, seizures, and violent movements due to the toxic effects of metabolic byproducts on the brain.
- Do Not Miss diagnoses:
- Meningitis or Encephalitis: Infections of the brain or meninges can cause seizures, fever, and altered mental status. Missing these diagnoses could be fatal due to the potential for rapid progression and severe neurological damage.
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A sudden, severe headache with loss of consciousness and possible seizures could indicate a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which requires immediate medical attention to prevent further brain damage or death.
- Rare diagnoses:
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder that can cause rapid deterioration of mental and physical abilities, including seizures and myoclonus (sudden, involuntary muscle jerks).
- Sydenham's Chorea: A rare neurological disorder occurring in some cases of rheumatic fever, characterized by rapid, involuntary, purposeless movements, primarily of the face and limbs, which could be mistaken for ballism.