Louis Elan D, Thawani Sujata P, Andrews Howard F
G.H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Neuroepidemiology. 2009;32(3):208-14. doi: 10.1159/000195691. Epub 2009 Jan 24.
Our aims were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of essential tremor (ET) in a community-based study in northern Manhattan, New York, N.Y., USA; (2) compare prevalence across ethnic groups, and (3) provide prevalence estimates for the oldest old.
This study did not rely on a screening questionnaire. Rather, as part of an in-person neurological evaluation, each participant produced several handwriting samples, from which ET diagnoses were assigned.
There were 1,965 participants (76.7 +/- 6.9 years, range = 66-102 years); 108 had ET [5.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.5-6.5%]. Odds of ET were robustly associated with Hispanic ethnicity versus white ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.03-4.64, p = 0.04] and age (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.03-1.26, p = 0.01), i.e. with every 1 year advance in age, the odds of ET increased by 14%. Prevalence reached 21.7% among the oldest old (age > or = 95 years).
This study reports a significant ethnic difference in the prevalence of ET. The prevalence of ET was high overall (5.5%) and rose markedly with age so that in the oldest old, more than 1 in 5 individuals had this disease.
我们的目标是：（1）在美国纽约曼哈顿北部开展的一项基于社区的研究中估计特发性震颤（ET）的患病率；（2）比较不同种族间的患病率；（3）提供高龄老人的患病率估计值。
本研究并非依赖筛查问卷。相反，作为面对面神经学评估的一部分，每位参与者书写了多份笔迹样本，据此进行ET诊断。
共有1965名参与者（年龄76.7±6.9岁，范围为66 - 102岁）；108人患有ET[5.5%，95%置信区间（CI）=4.5 - 6.5%]。ET的患病几率与西班牙裔种族相对于白种人的种族差异[优势比（OR）=2.19，95%CI =1.03 - 4.64，p =0.04]以及年龄（OR =1.14，95%CI =1.03 - 1.26，p =0.01）密切相关，即每增长1岁，ET的患病几率增加14%。在高龄老人（年龄≥95岁）中患病率达到21.7%。
本研究报告了ET患病率存在显著的种族差异。ET的总体患病率较高（5.5%），且随年龄显著上升，以至于在高龄老人中，超过五分之一的个体患有此病。
