What childhood illness did Andy Warhol experience in the 1930s?

Andy Warhol experienced Sydenham’s chorea during childhood in the 1930s.

Sydenham’s chorea is a neurological disorder associated with a previous group A streptococcal infection. It can cause involuntary, irregular movements and changes in coordination. Warhol reportedly suffered repeated episodes as a child, and the illness contributed to periods of withdrawal and time spent at home.

Biographical accounts connect this childhood experience with Warhol’s lifelong interest in images, faces, and personal appearance, although claims about its direct artistic influence should be treated cautiously. His mother, Julia Warhola, supported him during his illness and later moved to New York, where she lived with him for many years.

The condition is sometimes incorrectly identified as polio or simply rheumatic fever. Those are different medical conditions. Sydenham’s chorea is also known as St. Vitus’ dance, an older name that appears in historical descriptions.