Investigation of the prevalence of essential tremor in individuals aged 18-60 in Erzurum

Essential tremor (ET) is one of the common neurological diseases and it is the most common movement disorder in adults. The main clinical finding in patients with ET is kinetic tremor in the arms. There is no adequate study investigating the prevalence of ET in Turkey. Therefore, this study was planned in the center of the city of Erzurum in order to determine the prevalence of essential tremor in our region. This study was performed door to door in the center of the city of Erzurum. ET screening questionnaires were administered to all participants between the ages of 18-60 at first stage. Those who answer yes to any of the first five questions of the questionnaire were evaluated. Patients without a clear differential diagnosis were called for examination to the neurology department and they were re-evaluated by a faculty member specializing in movement disorders. Patients were classified by using Washington Heights-Inwood Genetic Study of Essential Tremor diagnostic and clinical evaluation scale. The prevalence of ET was calculated as 1.60 % (64 out of 4,024 participants). 30 of the cases were male and 34 were female. First-degree relatives of 30 patients with ET had a history of tremor. While 52 patients had tremor only in their hands, 11 patients had in various organs including hands. There was isolated head tremor in one patient. ET prevalence was increasing with age. The prevalence of ET in people between the ages of 18 and 60 was calculated as 1.60 %. This value is compatible with other measurements of the prevalence of ET. © 2012 Belgian Neurological Society.