Laryngeal tremor: co-occurrence with other movement disorders

Limited epidemiologic information exists regarding the co-occurrence of laryngeal tremor (LT) and tremor in other parts of the body, and of other movement disorders. Tremor is the involuntary skeletal muscle contraction that leads to oscillatory movement. It can affect many parts of the body including the chin, neck, laryngeal muscles, or limbs. When it is not associated with parkinsonism, it is called an essential tremor. We reviewed our 5-year experience with LT patients and the presence of other movement disorders.

We performed a retrospective review of 29 patients with LT seen in a voice clinic over a 5-year period from January 2004 to April 2009.

Of the 29 patients, 27 (93%) had co-incidence of another movement disorder. Of these patients, 45% had spasmodic dysphonia, 41% had oropharyngeal tremors, 38% had essential limb tremor, 31% had orofacial dystonias, and 24% had essential head and neck tremor. Only 1 patient (3%) presented with Parkinson's disease.

Otolaryngologists may be the first to evaluate a patient for tremors. It is important to consider other movement disorders when examining these patients as neurologic assessment and treatment of other tremors may be beneficial.