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Prevalence and clinical classification of tremor in elderly—A community‐based survey in Brazil
Author(s) -
Barbosa Maira Tonidandel,
Caramelli Paulo,
Cunningham Mauro César Quintão,
Maia Débora Palma,
LimaCosta Maria Fernanda Furtado,
Cardoso Francisco
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.25355
Subject(s) - essential tremor , parkinsonism , medicine , population , parkinson's disease , disease , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , pediatrics , environmental health
Prevalence data on different types of tremor among the elderly population are very scarce. The objective of this study was to study the prevalence of tremor in a community‐dwelling elderly population in the town of Bambuí, Brazil. The authors studied 1186 inhabitants aged≥64 years. This was a 2‐phase study in which all participants who screened positive in a questionnaire for tremor and parkinsonism or who used drugs capable of causing/suppressing tremor were examined. In this population, the prevalence rate was 17.4% for tremor, 7.4% for essential tremor, 5.6% for parkinsonian tremor, 2.8% for enhanced physiological tremor, and 1.6% for other causes. There were no gender differences in prevalence rates for all types. Patients who had Parkinson's disease with tremor were older than those who had essential tremor, whereas patients who had enhanced physiological tremor were significantly younger. The age‐specific prevalence of tremor increased with advancing age for both men and women. The prevalence of tremor in the studied population was high and increased with advancing age. Essential tremor, parkinsonian tremor, and enhanced physiological tremor were the most commonly identified causes. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society