Epidemiology of Pediatric Essential Tremor in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review from 2010 to 2020

Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders worldwide, yet the size of the pediatric ET population is not well understood. The objective of this review was to identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence describing the epidemiology of pediatric ET in the United States published between 2010 and 2020.

The authors searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews using terms related to ET, epidemiology, and pediatric patients. Eligibility criteria included observational studies that reported primary data on pediatric prevalence or incidence of ET or age of onset/diagnosis of ET. A total of 562 unique articles were identified for screening.

The review did not identify any studies that reported information on pediatric prevalence or incidence of ET, or age of ET diagnosis among nonpediatric patients. A total of 10 samples were identified, all of which described age of ET onset that ranged from 27.0 years to 56.7 years among 9 adult populations (weighted mean of 41.6 years) and 9.7 years in a single pediatric sample. One adult sample reported that 13% of all ET cases reported onset by age 14, and 21.8% of all ET cases reported onset by age 18.

There is a notable lack of recent data describing the incidence and prevalence of pediatric ET in the United States. Many children who present with symptoms of ET may not be diagnosed until later in life, and an increased awareness of pediatric ET could allow for early identification and monitoring of these patients.