Treatment with Botulinum Neurotoxin Improves Activities of Daily Living and Quality of Life in Patients with Upper Limb Tremor

Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements

article

Alexandre Kreisler¹  Benoîte Bouchain¹  Luc Defebvre¹  Pierre Krystkowiak² 

[1] Neurologie et Pathologie du Mouvement, CHU Lille;Neurologie, CHU Amiens

关键词: botulinum neurotoxin;    upper limb tremor;    activities of daily living;    quality of life;    Clinical Global Impression;   

DOI  :  10.5334/tohm.458

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Ubiquity Press

【 摘 要 】

Background: Botulinum neurotoxin’s degree of effectiveness on upper limb tremor is subject to debate; although this treatment reduces the tremor’s amplitude, a clear functional benefit has not been demonstrated. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of botulinum neurotoxin type A treatment on activities of daily living and quality of life in patients with upper limb tremor. Methods: We retrospectively examined the medical records of 50 consecutive patients treated with botulinum neurotoxin for upper limb tremor that was refractory to oral medication. One month after the injection, the patient was evaluated according to the Quality of Life in Essential Tremor Questionnaire, and the Essential Tremor Embarrassment Assessment. Results: Full data sets were available for 38 patients suffering variously from essential tremor ( n = 21), Holmes tremor secondary to a focal brain lesion (n = 8), idiopathic dystonic tremor (n = 4), primary writing tremor (n = 4), and Parkinson's disease (n = 1). The Quality of Life Essential Tremor Questionnaire and the Essential Tremor Embarrassment Assessment scores improved significantly (p < 0.001) in the study population as a whole, and in the essential tremor and Holmes tremor subgroups. Discussion: Botulinum neurotoxin treatment of patients with upper limb tremor is associated with improved quality of life and activities of daily living, irrespective of the tremor’s etiology. Long-term treatment enables the physician to adjust the injection strategy to the patient’s needs. Our study was limited by its retrospective design. The results must therefore be confirmed in a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.

【 授权许可】

CC BY