Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2009;32(3):208-14.
doi: 10.1159/000195691. Epub 2009 Jan 24.

Prevalence of essential tremor in a multiethnic, community-based study in northern Manhattan, New York, N.Y

Elan D Louis  1 , Sujata P Thawani, Howard F Andrews
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Prevalence of essential tremor in a multiethnic, community-based study in northern Manhattan, New York, N.Y

Elan D Louis et al. Neuroepidemiology. 2009.

Abstract

Background: Our aims were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of essential tremor (ET) in a community-based study in northern Manhattan, New York, N.Y., USA; (2) compare prevalence across ethnic groups, and (3) provide prevalence estimates for the oldest old.

Methods: This study did not rely on a screening questionnaire. Rather, as part of an in-person neurological evaluation, each participant produced several handwriting samples, from which ET diagnoses were assigned.

Results: There were 1,965 participants (76.7 +/- 6.9 years, range = 66-102 years); 108 had ET [5.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.5-6.5%]. Odds of ET were robustly associated with Hispanic ethnicity versus white ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.03-4.64, p = 0.04] and age (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.03-1.26, p = 0.01), i.e. with every 1 year advance in age, the odds of ET increased by 14%. Prevalence reached 21.7% among the oldest old (age > or = 95 years).

Conclusions: This study reports a significant ethnic difference in the prevalence of ET. The prevalence of ET was high overall (5.5%) and rose markedly with age so that in the oldest old, more than 1 in 5 individuals had this disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Examples of drawings with tremor ratings of 0 (A), 0.5 (B, C), 1.0 (D, E), 1.5 (F), and 2 (G, H). For each example (A–H), the preprinted sample is on the left and hand-drawn copy by the study participant is on the right.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Example of handwritten sentences with ratings of 0 (A) and 2 (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • How common is essential tremor?
    Benito-León J. Benito-León J. Neuroepidemiology. 2009;32(3):215-6. doi: 10.1159/000195692. Epub 2009 Jan 24. Neuroepidemiology. 2009. PMID: 19169044 No abstract available.

References

    1. Dogu O, Sevim S, Camdeviren H, Sasmaz T, Bugdayci R, Aral M, Kaleagasi H, Un S, Louis ED. Prevalence of essential tremor: Door-to-door neurologic exams in Mersin province, Turkey. Neurology. 2003;61:1804–1806. - PubMed
    1. Benito-Leon J, Louis ED. Essential tremor: Emerging views of a common disorder. Nat Clin Pract Neurol. 2006;2:666–678. - PubMed
    1. Moghal S, Rajput AH, Meleth R, D'Arcy C, Rajput R. Prevalence of movement disorders in institutionalized elderly. Neuroepidemiology. 1995;14:297–300. - PubMed
    1. Moghal S, Rajput AH, D'Arcy C, Rajput R. Prevalence of movement disorders in elderly community residents. Neuroepidemiology. 1994;13:175–178. - PubMed
    1. Louis ED, Ottman R, Hauser WA. How common is the most common adult movement disorder? Estimates of the prevalence of essential tremor throughout the world. Mov Disord. 1998;13:5–10. - PubMed

Publication types