TY - JOUR
T1 - How are we doing with the treatment of essential tremor (ET)?
T2 - Persistence of patients with ETon medication: Data from 528 patients in three settings
AU - Louis, E. D.
AU - Rios, E.
AU - Henchcliffe, C.
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Background: The pharmacological treatment of essential tremor (ET) is not optimal. There aronly two first-line medications and troublesome side effects are common. It is not uncommon forpatients to simply stop taking medication. Yet, no published data substantiate or quantify thisanecdotal impression. Objectives: To determine, amongst patients with ET who were prescribedmedication for tremor, what proportion are still taking medication and what proportion have stopped?Methods: Five hundred and twenty-eight patients with ET from three distinct study settings (clinical, brain donors, population) were interviewed. Results: A clear pattern that emerged across settings was that the proportion of patients with ET who had stopped medication was sizable and consistentlysimilar (nearly one-third): 31.4% (clinical), 24.3% (brain donors), 30.0% (population), 29.8%(overall). A similarly high proportion of cases with severe tremor had stopped their medication:31.9% (clinical), 36.4% (brain donors). For the four most commonly used medications (propranolol,primidone, diazepam, topiramate), one-half or more of the treated patients had stopped themedication; amongst the less commonly used medications, the proportion who stopped was even higher. Conclusions: Nearly one of every three patients with ET who had been prescribed medication for tremor had discontinued pharmacotherapy. Even more revealing was that a similar proportion of cases withsevere tremor had stopped medication. These data make tangibly evident that there is a sizablepopulation of patients with ET who are untreated and disabled, and underscore the inadequacy ofcurrent pharmacotherapeutic options for this common neurological disease.
AB - Background: The pharmacological treatment of essential tremor (ET) is not optimal. There aronly two first-line medications and troublesome side effects are common. It is not uncommon forpatients to simply stop taking medication. Yet, no published data substantiate or quantify thisanecdotal impression. Objectives: To determine, amongst patients with ET who were prescribedmedication for tremor, what proportion are still taking medication and what proportion have stopped?Methods: Five hundred and twenty-eight patients with ET from three distinct study settings (clinical, brain donors, population) were interviewed. Results: A clear pattern that emerged across settings was that the proportion of patients with ET who had stopped medication was sizable and consistentlysimilar (nearly one-third): 31.4% (clinical), 24.3% (brain donors), 30.0% (population), 29.8%(overall). A similarly high proportion of cases with severe tremor had stopped their medication:31.9% (clinical), 36.4% (brain donors). For the four most commonly used medications (propranolol,primidone, diazepam, topiramate), one-half or more of the treated patients had stopped themedication; amongst the less commonly used medications, the proportion who stopped was even higher. Conclusions: Nearly one of every three patients with ET who had been prescribed medication for tremor had discontinued pharmacotherapy. Even more revealing was that a similar proportion of cases withsevere tremor had stopped medication. These data make tangibly evident that there is a sizablepopulation of patients with ET who are untreated and disabled, and underscore the inadequacy ofcurrent pharmacotherapeutic options for this common neurological disease.
KW - Clinical
KW - Essential tremor
KW - Medication
KW - Treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952501959&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77952501959&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02926.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02926.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 20067514
AN - SCOPUS:77952501959
SN - 1351-5101
VL - 17
SP - 882
EP - 884
JO - European Journal of Neurology
JF - European Journal of Neurology
IS - 6
ER -