Session Information
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Session Title: Tremor
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Exhibit Hall C
Objective: To explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of head and/or voice tremor in essential tremor.
Background: Topography of tremor manifestations is poorly investigated in essential tremor.
Methods: Out of a prospectively designed registry of 972 patients, 884 patients with definite and probable essential tremor had complete information on tremor localization. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared among four subgroups: group A (without head or voice tremor, n=619), B (with head but without voice tremor, n=155), C (with voice but without head tremor, n=47), and D (with both head and voice tremor, n=63).
Results: In our patients, total prevalence of tremor was 24.7% for head, 12.4% for voice and 7.1% for the combination of head and voice. Logistic regression analyses showed that female gender is the major associated factor for head tremor, which was confirmed by an additional meta-analysis. Severe hand tremor was the only factor associated with voice tremor. Both female gender and severe hand tremor increase the risk for head and/or voice tremor. For males, hand tremor severity is significantly increased among those with head and voice tremor alone and in combination, but for females only for the combination. Patients with both head and voice tremor have more frequent involvement of legs and other localizations and are less responsive to β-blockers.
Conclusions: Female gender and severe hand tremor increase the risk of head and/or voice tremor in essential tremor. The risk factor hand tremor severity in males seems to be stronger for midline tremor than in females.
References: Louis ED, Ford B, Frucht S. Factors associated with increased risk of head tremor in essential tremor: a community-based study in northern Manhattan. Mov Disord. 2003;18:432–436.
Hardesty DE, Maraganore DM, Matsumoto JY, Louis ED. Increased risk of head tremor in women with essential tremor: longitudinal data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Mov Disord. 2004;19:529–533.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
W. Chen, F. Hopfner, S. Szymczak, O. Granert, S.H. Müller, G. Kuhlenbäumer, G. Deuschl. Topography of essential tremor [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2017; 32 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/topography-of-essential-tremor/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2017 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/topography-of-essential-tremor/