Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Athetosis
Involuntary writhing movements in fingers, hands, toes, and feet
HP:0002305
What it means
A slow, continuous, involuntary writhing movement that prevents maintenance of a stable posture. Athetosis involves continuous smooth movements that appear random and are not composed of recognizable sub-movements or movement fragments. In contrast to chorea, in athetosis, the same regions of the body are repeatedly involved. Athetosis may worsen with attempts at movement of posture, but athetosis can also occur at rest.
Athetosis derives from the Greek word for 'changeable' or 'unfixed'.
Rare diseases that can present with this18
Common30–79%
6Sometimes5–29%
10- 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency, infantile/juvenile form
- Alacrimia-choreoathetosis-liver dysfunction syndrome
- Autosomal recessive cutis laxa type 2A
- Autosomal recessive methemoglobinemia
- Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency
- Leigh syndrome
- Megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts
- Multiple congenital anomalies-hypotonia-seizures syndrome
and 2 more in this range
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Athetoid movements · Involuntary writhing movements
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.