Table 1
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of 422 Participants
| Controls | Dystonia | ET | PD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 173 | 46 | 126 | 77 | Significance |
| Age (years) | 74.1 ± 9.0 | 73.2 ± 4.2 | 75.7 ± 8.3 | 74.4 ± 4.2 | p = 0.19 5 |
| Female gender1 | 106 (61.6) | 34 (73.9) | 65 (52.0) | 36 (47.4) | p = 0.01 6 |
| Caucasian1 | 151 (89.3) | 42 (91.3) | 119 (95.2) | 68 (89.5) | p = 0.32 6 |
| Symptom duration (years) | NA | 18.5 ± 13.8 | 33.0 ± 19.5 | 9.1 ± 11.0 | p <0.001 7 |
| Macular degeneration1 | 13 (7.6) | 2 (4.3) | 2 (1.6) | 5 (6.6) | p = 0.13 6 |
| Neuropathy1 | 17 (9.9) | 2 (4.3) | 14 (11.3) | 8 (10.7) | p = 0.59 6 |
| Orthopedic problems1 | 106 (61.3) | 34 (73.9) | 76 (60.3) | 40 (53.3) | p = 0.16 6 |
| Mini-mental State Examination | 28.6 ± 1.7 (29.0) | 28.3 ± 1.9 (29.0) | 28.7 ± 1.6 (29.0) | 28.3 ± 2.0 (29.0) | p = 0.46 7 |
| ABC1 (Confidence when you stand on your tiptoes and reach for something) | 72.2 ± 31.6 (90) | 76.4 ± 25.2 (90) | 64.8 ± 31.7 (72.5) 3 | 61.8 ± 34.5 (70) 3 | p = 0.002 8 |
| ABC2 (Confidence when you stand on a chair and reach for something) | 62.5 ± 35.6 (75) | 63.0 ± 34.8 (70) | 53.5 ± 35.1 (60) 3 | 43.5 ± 33.2 (40) 3 | p <0.001 8 |
| ABC3 (Confidence when you are bumped into by people as you walk) | 75.7 ± 28.4 (90) | 74.4 ± 24.0 (80) | 69.7 ± 31.7 (80) | 61.1 ± 34.1 (70) 3 | p = 0.001 8 |
| ABC4 (Confidence when you step onto or off an escalator while holding the handrail) | 81.8 ± 25.2 (90) | 75.6 ± 28.5 (90) | 75.8 ± 28.4 (90) 4 | 68.7 ± 32.0 (80) 3 | p = 0.001 8 |
| ABC5 (Confidence when you step onto or off an escalator while holding onto parcels) | 63.8 ± 36.6 (80) | 58.0 ± 38.0 (70) | 54.6 ± 35.2 (60) 3 | 47.3 ± 34.3 (50) 3 | p <0.001 8 |
| ABC6 (Confidence when you walk outside on icy sidewalks) | 46.9 ± 33.9 (50) | 42.5 ± 33.4 (40) | 39.7 ± 31.5 (30) 4 | 36.5 ± 30.8 (37.5) 3 | p <0.001 8 |
| ABC-6 total score | 67.2 ± 27.5 (76.7) | 65.0 ± 25.5 (68.3) | 59.7 ± 27.7 (65.4) 3 | 53.1 ± 28.9 (54.1) 3 | p <0.001 8 |
| Number of near-falls in past year | 5.3 ± 29.3 (0) | 4.1 ± 11.0 (0) | 13.2 ± 41.9 (0) | 61.4 ±120.9 (5) 3 | p <0.001 8 |
| Number of falls in past year | 0.6 ± 0.9 (0) | 0.5 ± 1.0 (0) | 1.0 ± 3.2 (0) | 9.9 ± 47.5 (1) 3 | p = 0.001 8 |
| Number of fallers in past year2 | 9 (5.2) | 2 (4.3) | 12 (9.5) | 21 (27.3) 3 | p <0.001 6 |
| Use of walking aid (in home) | p <0.001 6 | ||||
| No | 164 (94.8) | 46 (100) | 115 (91.3) | 56 (72.7) | |
| Cane | 4 (2.3) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (4.0) | 7 (9.1) | |
| Walker | 5 (2.9) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (3.2) | 12 (15.6) | |
| Wheelchair | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.6) | 2 (2.6) 3 | |
| Use of walking aid (outside of home) | p <0.001 6 | ||||
| No | 143 (82.7) | 42 (91.3) | 103 (81.7) | 44 (57.1) | |
| Cane | 25 (14.5) | 4 (8.7) | 13 (10.3) | 17 (22.1) | |
| Walker | 5 (2.9) | 0 (0.0) | 7 (5.6) | 11 (14.3) | |
| Wheelchair | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (2.4) | 5 (6.5) 3 |
Values are mean ± standard deviation (median) or number (percentage).
Abbreviations: ABC, Activities of Balance Confidence; ET, Essential Tremor; NA, Not Applicable; PD, Parkinson’s Disease.
2 As in prior analyses, we and others have defined fallers as those who have had more than two falls in the previous year.14
Table 2
Characteristics of Dystonia Cases Compared with Controls
| Controls | Dystonia–Blepharospasm | Dystonia– Torticollis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 173 | 13 | 27 |
| Age (years) | 74.1 ± 9.0 | 74.2 ± 4.4 | 73.2 ± 4.1 |
| Female gender1 | 106 (61.6) | 10 (76.9) | 20 (74.1) |
| Caucasian1 | 151 (89.3) | 10 (76.9) | 27 (100) 4 |
| Symptom duration | NA | 24.3 ± 16.3 | 17.5 ± 14.0 |
| ABC1 (Confidence when you stand on your tiptoes and reach for something) | 72.2 ± 31.6 (90) | 88.1 ± 15.5 (90) | 67.0 ± 27.0 (70) 5 |
| ABC2 (Confidence when you stand on a chair and reach for something) | 62.5 ± 35.6 (75) | 66.8 ± 40.4 (90) | 57.4 ± 33.0 (60) |
| ABC3 (Confidence when you are bumped into by people as you walk) | 75.7 ± 28.4 (90) | 77.7 ± 24.2 (90) | 70.3 ± 24.7 (80) |
| ABC4 (Confidence when you step onto or off an escalator while holding the handrail) | 81.8 ± 25.2 (90) | 88.5 ± 17.7 (100) | 71.0 ± 28.9 (80) 3,5 |
| ABC5 (Confidence when you step onto or off an escalator while holding onto parcels) | 63.8 ± 36.6 (80) | 77.5 ± 31.8 (90) | 50.7 ± 35.2 (50) 4,5 |
| ABC6 (Confidence when you walk outside on icy sidewalks) | 46.9 ± 33.9 (50) | 52.9 ± 29.3 (40) | 34.1 ± 32.1 (20) 4,6 |
| ABC-6 total score | 67.2 ± 27.5 (76.7) | 75.2 ± 23.7 (80.0) | 58.8 ± 25.1 (58.3) 4,5 |
| Number of near-falls in past year | 5.3 ± 29.3 (0) | 4.6 ± 14.3 (0) | 2.3 ± 4.3 (0) |
| Number of falls in past year | 0.6 ± 0.9 (0) | 0.6 ± 1.5 (0) | 0.4 ± 0.8 (0) |
| Number of fallers in past year2 | 9 (5.2) | 1 (7.7) | 1 (3.7) |
| Use of walking aid (in home) | |||
| No | 164 (94.8) | 13 (100) | 27 (100) |
| Cane | 4 (2.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Walker | 5 (2.9) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Wheelchair | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Use of walking aid (outside of home) | |||
| No | 143 (82.7) | 10 (76.9) | 27 (100) |
| Cane | 25 (14.5) | 3 (23.1) | 1 (3.7) |
| Walker | 5 (2.9) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Wheelchair | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
Values are mean ± standard deviation (median) or number (percentage).
Abbreviations: ABC, Activities of Balance Confidence; NA, Not Applicable.
2 As in prior analyses, we and others have defined fallers as those who have had more than two falls in the previous year.14
Table 3
Gait and Balance in ET Cases Stratified Based on Different Clinical Characteristics
| TTS* | Tremor Duration* | Intention Tremor* | Rest Tremor* | Cranial Tremor* | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | Higher | Shorter | Longer | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | |||||||||||
| n | 58 | 57 | 69 | 50 | 100 | 21 | 102 | 19 | 57 | 63 | ||||||||||
| Age (years) | 72.7 ± 7.7 | 79.1 ± 7.4 | 74.2 ± 8.1 | 77.9 ± 8.2 | 75.3 ± 8.3 | 77.3 ± 7.9 | 75.1 ± 8.1 | 77.8 ± 8.2 | 72.7 ± 7.0 | 78.0 ± 8.5 | ||||||||||
| ABC1 | 69.3 ± 29.7 | 60.9 ± 32.8 | 64.8 ± 33.0 | 64.3 ± 29.5 | 64.1 ± 30.9 | 69.5 ± 30.8 | 67.1 ± 30.1 | 51.6 ± 35.3 | 69.0 ± 30.5 | 59.7 ± 31.6 | ||||||||||
| ABC2 | 61.6 ± 33.1 | 45.8 ± 35.4 | 51.8 ± 37.3 | 55.3 ± 30.8 | 53.9 ± 33.7 | 54.1 ± 39.5 | 56.5 ± 34.3 | 38.2 ± 35.1 | 55.5 ± 36.3 | 50.9 ± 33.9 | ||||||||||
| ABC3 | 72.9 ± 29.5 | 67.9 ± 32.5 | 68.5 ± 31.8 | 73.3 ± 29.4 | 71.8 ± 28.7 | 63.8 ± 39.7 | 71.1 ± 30.2 | 64.0 ± 38.0 | 73.0 ± 31.5 | 66.1 ± 31.3 | ||||||||||
| ABC4 | 78.9 ± 24.7 | 74.9 ± 29.6 | 78.2 ± 26.6 | 75.0 ± 28.3 | 76.9 ± 26.5 | 75.7 ± 30.5 | 77.5 ± 26.9 | 69.7 ± 32.9 | 78.1 ± 27.2 | 73.5 ± 28.6 | ||||||||||
| ABC5 | 57.5 ± 35.0 | 51.8 ± 34.1 | 56.4 ± 35.3 | 53.6 ± 34.3 | 55.2 ± 34.2 | 55.2 ± 35.7 | 56.3 ± 34.3 | 46.2 ± 36.4 | 62.2 ± 31.8 | 47.2 ± 35.7 | ||||||||||
| ABC6 | 44.2 ± 31.9 | 36.6 ± 30.9 | 38.5 ± 31.0 | 42.1 ± 32.3 | 39.9 ± 30.0 | 40.7 ± 36.8 | 41.8 ± 30.9 | 29.0 ± 32.3 | 44.5 ± 30.1 | 35.1 ± 32.2 | ||||||||||
| ABC total | 64.1 ± 25.6 | 56.3 ± 27.9 | 59.7 ± 27.7 | 60.6 ± 26.7 | 60.3 ± 25.8 | 59.8 ± 31.7 | 61.7 ± 26.4 | 49.8 ± 30.8 | 63.7 ± 26.8 | 57.8 ± 27.0 | ||||||||||
| Number of near-falls in past year | 11.1 ± 28.6 | 17.3 ± 55.0 | 11.7 ± 46.6 | 16.6 ± 37.7 | 12.1 ± 42.6 | 20.2 ± 43.2 | 8.1 ± 22.7 | 43.5 ± 90.1 | 8.1 ± 21.2 | 18.9 ± 55.3 | ||||||||||
| Number of falls in past year | 0.7 ± 1.3 | 1.1 ± 4.0 | 1.2 ± 3.7 | 0.9 ± 2.6 | 1.0 ± 3.2 | 0.5 ± 0.9 | 0.9 ± 2.1 | 1.8 ± 6.8 | 1.3 ± 4.6 | 0.8 ± 1.3 | ||||||||||
| Number of fallers in past year** | 6 (10.3) | 5 (8.8) | 7 (10.1) | 5 (10.0) | 10 (10.0) | 1 (4.8) | 11 (10.8) | 1 (5.3) | 5 (8.8) | 7 (11.1) | ||||||||||
| Use of walking aid (in home) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| No | 56 (96.6) | 50 (87.7) | 64 (92.8) | 46 (92.0) | 94 (94.0) | 18 (85.7) | 96 (94.1) | 15 (78.9) | 54 (94.7) | 56 (88.9) | ||||||||||
| Cane | 1 (1.7) | 3 (5.3) | 2 (2.9) | 2 (4.0) | 3 (3.0) | 1 (4.8) | 2 (2.0) | 2 (10.5) | 1 (1.8) | 3 (4.8) | ||||||||||
| Walker | 1 (1.7) | 3 (5.3) | 3 (4.3) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (2.0) | 2 (9.5) | 3 (2.9) | 1 (5.3) | 1 (1.8) | 3 (4.8) | ||||||||||
| WC | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.0) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (5.3) | 1 (1.8) | 1 (1.6) | ||||||||||
| Use of walking aid (outside of home) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| No | 50 (86.2) | 47 (82.5) | 58 (84.1) | 41 (82.0) | 85 (85.0) | 17 (81.0) | 87 (85.3) | 14 (73.7) | 51 (89.5) | 49 (77.8) | ||||||||||
| Cane | 7 (12.1) | 4 (7.0) | 5 (7.2) | 6 (12.0) | 9 (9.0) | 2 (9.5) | 9 (8.8) | 2 (10.5) | 4 (7.0) | 7 (11.1) | ||||||||||
| Walker | 1 (1.7) | 4 (7.0) | 5 (7.2) | 2 (4.0) | 4 (4.0) | 2 (9.5) | 5 (4.9) | 1 (5.3) | 1 (1.8) | 5 (7.9) | ||||||||||
| WC | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.5) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (2.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.0) | 2 (10.5) | 1 (1.8) | 2 (3.2) | ||||||||||