Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether sensory abnormalities in patients with primary dystonia are related to age and to the distribution of motor symptoms.

Background: Sensory abnormalities are increasingly being recognized as an accompanying symptom in patients with isolated inherited or idiopathic dystonia.

Methods: We recruited 20 dystonic patients, from which 8 had generalized dystonia, 7 cervical dystonia and 5 segmental dystonia with hand involvement and compared them with age matched controls. We used Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) on the back of the hand in all patients and on the shoulder in patients with cervical dystonia. The patients with involvement of the hand in dystonia were divided into two groups: younger than 40 years of age (6 patients) and older than 40 (7 patients). All patients with cervical dystonia were older than 40.The QST values were compared to 19 age matched controls.

Results: Our results show that younger patients with hand dystonia have both impaired cold pain threshold (CPT) and hot pain threshold (HPT) on the side more affected by dystonia, and also impaired mechanical pain sensitivity (MPS) on both sides. Patients older than 40 have a diminished cold detection threshold (CDT) and thermal sensory limen (TSL) on the side more affected by the disease and diminished MPS of the hand on both sides. Patients with cervical dystonia have an increased hot detection threshold (HDT), CDT, TSL and MPS on the back of the hand. In the group with cervical dystonia, the shoulder QST revealed impaired CDT and MPS.

Conclusions: QST clearly shows several subtle sensory abnormalities in patients with inherited or idiopathic dystonia. Whether or not altered sensory function in dystonic patients correlates with the degree of dystonia needs further clarification.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/subtle-sensory-abnormalities-in-patients-with-segmental-and-cervical-dystonia-detected-by-quantitative-sensory-testing/