AAN: Dementia More Common With Essential Tremor Than in the General Population

FRIDAY, March 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Dementia rates are substantially higher among people with essential tremor than the general population, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, to be held from April 13 to 18 in Denver.

Elan Louis, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the prevalence, incidence, and annual rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia among individuals with essential tremor. The analysis included 177 participants, with follow-up evaluations at 18, 36, 54, and 72 months (mean years of observation, 5.1).

The researchers found that the cumulative prevalence of dementia and average annual conversion rate of MCI to dementia were 18.5 and 12.2 percent, respectively. These rates were nearly three times higher than in the general population and were approximately half the magnitude of a Parkinson disease comparison cohort. Similarly, the cumulative prevalence of MCI (26.6 percent) was almost double that seen in the general population, but less than that observed in patients with Parkinson disease.

"While the majority of people with essential tremor will not develop dementia, our findings provide the basis for physicians to educate people with essential tremor and their families about the heightened risk, and any potential life changes likely to accompany this diagnosis," Louis said in a statement.

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