Head tremor and pain in cervical dystonia

Background Although head tremor (HT) and pain are prevalent in cervical dystonia (CD), their joint relationship to phenotypic features of focal dystonia remains unclear. Objectives We examined how severity of HT and pain are associated with age of CD onset and duration, and whether HT subtypes (jerky or regular) exhibit distinct relationships between severity of HT and pain. Methods The severity of HT and pain were assessed with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale in retrospective review of 188 CD patients recruited through the Dystonia Coalition. Results HT severity was associated with longer CD duration (p < 0.0005), whereas pain severity was associated with younger age at onset (p = 0.043). HT severity and pain severity were not correlated for jerky HT (p = 0.996), but positively correlated for regular HT (p = 0.01). Conclusions The distinct associations of HT and pain with age at onset, disease duration, and HT subtype further characterize the heterogeneity of CD's clinical presentation and suggest similarly heterogeneous underlying mechanisms.

Automated summary

The severity of head tremor in cervical dystonia is associated with longer disease duration, while pain severity is linked to younger age of onset. The relationship between head tremor severity and pain severity differs between jerky and regular head tremor subtypes, suggesting heterogeneous underlying mechanisms in the presentation of cervical dystonia.