Age of Onset: Can We Rely on Essential Tremor Patients to Report This? Data from a Prospective, Longitudinal Study

作者：Louis Elan D^*

来源：Neuroepidemiology, 2013, 40(2): 93-98.

DOI：10.1159/000341903

• Essential tremor
• Epidemiology
• Age of onset
• Clinical factors
• Genetics

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is among the most prevalent neurological diseases. Age of onset, a key variable in neuroepidemiological and genetic research, is chiefly assessed by self-report rather than medical record review; the latter may be of little use. As a researcher, one wonders about the quality of this self-report. Is age of onset something which can be reproducibly self-reported by patients? There are few published data to aid researchers. Methods: Age of onset was self-reported at two time points (baseline and follow-up) in 86 ET cases in a longitudinal epidemiological study in New York. Results: The mean follow-up interval was 5.7 +/- 8 2.5 (maximum = 14) years. Overall, agreement between the baseline and follow-up reports was high (rho = 0.85, p < 0.001). Yet the difference (age of onset (baseline) - age of onset follow-up) ranged widely (from -47 to 32 years), and in one fifth of cases was 6 10 years. Greater agreement was associated with several clinical factors including age, medication use, embarrassment, depressive symptoms, cognitive test score and disease duration. Conclusions: Differences in reported age of onset in ET may vary widely, and in up to one fifth of patients may be substantial. Investigators should approach these self-reports with caution.

• 出版日期2013