Obsessive-compulsive Disorders Due to Neuroacanthocytosis Treated with Citalopram

Habermeyer et al. have reported the interesting case of a 32-year-old man with a 9 year history of chorea, obsessive-compulsive disorder, striatal atrophy and acanthocytosis that they identify as an instance of “neuroacanthocytosis”[1]. Neuroacanthocytosis, as they rightly state, is a heterogeneous syndrome [2] [5], which can, however, be clearly split into genetically distinct diseases [3] [5].

We would recommend an investigation of X-linked McLeod syndrome by Kell phenotyping, and the performance of a chorein Western blot [4] to evaluate for the alternative diagnosis of autosomal recessive chorea-acanthocytosis. With such additional details, their interesting therapeutic observation will be more valuable for the development of future treatment protocols.

References

• 1 Habermeyer B, Fuhr P, Hiss B. et al . Obsessive-compulsive disorders due to neuroacanthocytosis treated with citalopram.  Pharmacopsychiatry. 2006;  39 193-194
• 2 Danek (ed.) A. Neuroacanthocytosis Syndromes. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer 2004
• 3 Danek A, Jung HH, Melone MAB. et al . Neuroacanthocytosis: new developments in a neglected group of dementing disorders.  J Neurol Sci. 2005;  229-230 171-186
• 4 Dobson-Stone C, Velayos-Baeza A, Filippone LA. et al . Chorein detection for the diagnosis of chorea-acanthocytosis.  Ann Neurol. 2004;  56 299-302
• 5 Walker RH, Danek A, Dobson-Stone C. et al . Developments in neuroacanthocytosis: expanding the spectrum of choreatic syndromes.  Movement Disorders. 2006;  21 1794-1805

Correspondence