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Published on: December 13, 2017
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Essential Tremor in the Elderly and Risk for Dementia
Holly A Shill1, Joseph G Hentz2, Sandra A Jacobson1
1Banner Sun Health Research Institute, 10515 West Santa Fe. Drive, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA.
Journal of Neurodegenerative Diseases
|August 29, 2015
Summary
Essential tremor (ET) in the elderly is not linked to a higher dementia risk. However, older age onset and shorter tremor duration may indicate an increased risk for cognitive decline.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Essential tremor (ET) is a common neurological disorder.
- The relationship between ET and dementia risk remains unclear.
- Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify this association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the risk of dementia in individuals with essential tremor.
- To compare dementia incidence between ET subjects and controls.
- To identify potential risk factors for dementia within the ET population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders.
- Included 83 subjects with ET and 424 controls, all free of neurodegenerative diagnoses at baseline.
- Annual motor, neurological, and neuropsychological assessments were conducted over a median follow-up of 5.4 years.
Main Results:
- The overall hazard ratio for dementia in ET subjects was 0.79 (95% CI 0.33 to 1.85).
- Older age onset (≥65 years) was associated with a higher risk (HR 2.1, 95% CI 0.24 to 18).
- Longer tremor duration (>5 years) showed a trend towards reduced risk (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.08 to 2.6).
Conclusions:
- Essential tremor in the elderly is not associated with an increased overall risk of dementia.
- A subset of ET patients with older age onset and potentially shorter tremor duration may face a higher risk.
- Further research is warranted to explore specific ET subtypes and dementia risk.
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