Case report highlights the challenges of diagnosing belly dancer dyskinesia, suggesting clonazepam may improve symptoms.
Belly dancer dyskinesia (BDD) is a rare neurological disorder characterised by repetitive, involuntary contractions of the abdominal muscles. Diagnosis can be challenging, as investigations often fail to reveal an underlying cause. We report the case of an 18-year-old female who presented with sudden-onset, involuntary abdominal contractions. Investigations, including blood tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and spine, were unremarkable. Initial treatment with diazepam partially reduced her symptoms, while clonazepam resulted in significant improvement and sustained control. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of BDD and suggests that clonazepam may be a useful therapeutic option in selected patients.
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Aboukar et al. (2025) studied this question.
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