Objective:  Determine characteristics of essential tremor (ET) patients in a hospital-based sample.

Background: Essential tremor is the most frequent movement disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 0,9% in general population. Despite its high frequency, only a small percentage of patients have regular hospital follow-up in movement disorders clinics.

Method: Analysis of a sample of 37 patients with regular follow-up in the movement disorder outpatient clinic in Centro Hospitalar de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal from 01.06.2021 to 31.12.2021. All patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (IPMDS) task force. We analyze demographic and clinical characteristics, investigation, therapeutic options and relief global clinical impression.

Results: Mean age sample was 67.49 years (20-91), and 65.79% were female. Twenty-patients had a positive family history of ET. Illness mean duration was 14.84 years (5-40). Regarding clinical features, body distribution was: hands (18), hands + voice (5), hands + head (7), head (4), hands + head + voice (1), head + voice (1), hands + head + voice + trunk (1). All patients performed routine laboratory and brain imaging (CT – 24, MRI – 18, CT and MRI – 5). The majority of patients (72,97%) were treated with one (14) or two (13) drugs. Three patients were untreated. Therapeutic options included: phenobarbital (14), propranolol (11), clonazepam (13), alprazolam (8), topiramate (7), primidone (4), lorazepam (3), gabapentin (3) and prebagalin (2). Twenty-seven patients were satisfied with the therapeutic options.

Conclusion: The results of our sample are globally similar with those described in the literature, except for the greater use of phenobarbital, which may be related to the availability of this drug category.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/characterization-of-essential-tremor-patients-in-a-central-hospital-based-sample/