Comparison of nonmotor symptoms in hyperkinetic movement disorders and the control group

Introduction and Objective: Hyperkinetic movement disorders are neurological syndromes characterized by involuntary movements occurring during volitional and automatic actions, in the absence of paresis and spasticity. In the last few years, in addition to motor signs, the presence of nonmotor symptoms has gained notice in hyperkinetic movement disorders. However, there are only a few studies on regarding this subject. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical features and frequencies of nonmotor symptoms in several different hyperkinetik movement disorders and compare them with the healthy age- and sex-match control group. Method: Forty-six patients with focal dystonia (25 cervical dystonia, 21 belpharospasm), 20 with essential tremor, 11 with Huntington disease who were being followed up in the outpatient clinics of Department of Neurology, Çukurova University and 25 healthy controls were recruited for his study. All cases underwent complete neurological examination, as well as postural arterial tension measured lying, sitting and standing. Mini Mental ExaminationTest, Pittsburgh Sleep Qualty Index, Beck Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain and Nonmotor symptom scale for Parkinson's Disease were carried out for each case. For statistical evaluation SPSS 20.0 program was used. Results: Cognitive impairment was prominent in Huntington disease. Concentration/memory problems in cervical dystonia and essential tremor were also detected. In essential tremor, there was correlation between the age at onset and the severity of cognitive dysfunction. Mood impairment, anxiety, and depression were prominent in cervical dystonia, essential tremor and Huntington disease. Blepharospasm and essential tremor suffered from anxiety disorders. Fatigue and pain were prominent in cervical dystonia and Huntington disease, while gastointestinal and sexual dysfunctin were prominent in focal dystonias. Sleep quality was affected in at least 40% of the cases, except blepharospasm. Conclusion: In hyperkinetic movement disorders, nonmotor symptoms can be as disabling as motor symptoms. It is important to increase awareness of these symptoms, in order to provide solutions to the problem and to increase the quality of life of these patients.