title: The prevalence of essential tremor in elderly Koreans.
abstract: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders. The prevalence of ET varies substantially among studies. In Korea, there is no well-designed epidemiological study of the prevalence of ET. Thus, we investigated the prevalence of ET in a community in Korea. Standardized interviews and in-person neurological examinations were performed in a random sample of the elderly aged 65 yr or older. Next, movement specialists attempted to diagnose ET clinically. People who showed equivocal parkinsonian features underwent dopamine transporter imaging using [(123)I]-FP-CIT SPECT, to differentiate ET from parkinsonism. A total of 714 subjects participated in this population-based study. Twenty six of these subjects were diagnosed as having ET. The crude prevalence of ET was 3.64 per 100 persons. Age, gender, or education period were not different between the ET patients and the non-ET subjects. The prevalence of ET was slightly lower than those reported in previous studies. Further studies including more subjects are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Eung Seok
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2068-3235
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Min
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5723-3997
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Eun
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Seon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dankook University College of Medicine, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok Bum
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Dankook University College of Medicine, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Jae
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jeju National Universtiy School of Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Hui
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Woong
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Beom S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: 2-Carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl) tropane SPECT, Korea; Essential Tremor; Prevalence