Objective:

We analyzed the frequency and types of movement disorders reported in the published literature.

Background:

Neurosarcoidosis is a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, a multisystem inflammatory granulomatous disease.   Movement disorders among this patient population are still underreported. We described the frequency of movement disorders and response to treatment among neurosarcoidosis patients.

Design/Methods:

A comprehensive literature review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The following keywords were used: movement disorders, tremors, chorea, dystonia, ataxia, myoclonus, nystagmus, and neurosarcoidosis. We considered eleven studies in our analysis.

Results:

A total of 14 patients were included, with a mean age of 42 ± 14.8 years and 50% being female. Ataxia was identified in 85.7% of cases (12 out of 14 patients), while eye movement abnormalities, including nystagmus, saccadic ocular pursuit, and tremors, were present in 14.3% (2 out of 14 patients). Some patients exhibited more than one type of movement disorder.
IV methylprednisolone was used in all cases; a TNF-alpha blocker was used in one patient; similarly, azathioprine was used in one case.  Most of the patients (85.7%) showed a complete improvement, while 14.3% showed partial improvement.

Conclusions:

Ataxia is considered one of the most common movement disorders among neurosarcoidosis.   Clinicians should be aware of this symptomology to consider neurosarcoidosis as a differential diagnosis.