Does a screening questionnaire for essential tremor agree with the physician's examination?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Essential tremor (ET) diagnosis is often by interview due to practical constraints.
• Validating screening tools for ET is crucial for epidemiological research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity of a 12-item screening questionnaire for essential tremor (ET).
• To evaluate the questionnaire's correlation with clinical tremor severity and diagnostic outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A community-based study of 242 subjects (33 definite/probable ET, 54 possible ET, 155 normal).
• Subjects completed a 12-item ET screening interview and underwent a videotaped tremor examination.
• Neurologists rated tremor severity and assigned diagnoses based on videotaped examinations.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between affirmative responses and tremor severity (r = 0.66, p < 0.01).
• The screening questionnaire demonstrated 73% sensitivity, 96% specificity, and 80% positive predictive value for probable/definite ET.
• Questionnaire responses correlated well with neurologic examination findings, though mild ET cases often screened negative.

Conclusions:

• The 12-item questionnaire has moderate validity for screening essential tremor (ET).
• Mild or asymptomatic ET cases may not be identified by the screening tool.
• Physical examination remains essential for comprehensive ET assessment in population and family studies.