Objective: describe the socio-demographic, clinical characteristics and evolutionary profiles of patients followed for movement disorders

Background: The DR Congo specialists in abnormal movements are rare, movements disorders are underdiagnosed and patients often arrive late at neurologists.

At the Initiative Plus Hospital Center, abnormal movements are the third cause of consultation after strokes and headaches

Method: We conducted a longitudinal study. Using a questionnaire, we collected information on the first day of the consultation, then every week until the third month during the period from June 2020 to December 2022.

Were excluded from our study, all patients who were followed for less than three months

Results: From June 2020 to December 2022, we had a total of 62 cases of abnormal movements, of which only 47 were followed for at least 3 months.

Of these patients we had 66% male patients for 34% female.

The age of the patients varies from 9 to 81 years with an average of 59 years and a median of 61 years. About 28% of patients had a stay in the province of Kwilu and Mayi – Ndombe, among them those suffering from Parkinson’s disease are not very sensitive to L-doppa.

The most common antecedents are: diabetes, stroke, hypertension and use of pesticides.

As far as diagnosis is concerned, Parkinson’s disease is the most common abnormal movement at 49%, followed by essential tremor, dystonia, hemiballismus, myoclonic and finally Parkinson’s plus.

More than half of patients consulted at the CHIP several years after the first symptoms.

Seventy percent of patients had their first symptoms before the age of 60 and are currently no longer active professionally.

Under treatment, 49% had a good therapeutic response.

Conclusion: Our results show that abnormal movements are frequent, but patients consult the neurologist late.

A large part of patients have had a stay in the province of Kwuilu and kwango and these patients respond less well to treatment.

our next studies will be based on the etiogies of parkinson’s disease in the kwilu and kwango area.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/burden-of-movements-disorders-at-initiative-plus-center-hospital/