Pediatric Functional Movement Disorders: Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre

Objectives: Functional movement disorders (FMDs) pose significant diagnostic and management challenges. We aimed to study the socioeconomic and cultural factors, underlying psychopathology and the phenomenology of FMDs in children. Methods: The study is a retrospective chart review of 39 children (16 girls and 23 boys) who attended our neurology OPD and the movement disorders clinic at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) between January 2011 and May 2020. The diagnosis of FMD was based on Fahn and Williams criteria and the patients were either diagnosed as documented or clinically established. All the relevant demographic data including the ethnicity, socioeconomic and cultural background, examination findings, electrophysiological, and other investigations were retrieved from the medical records. Results: The mean age at onset was 12.69 +/- 3.13 years. Majority of the children were from urban regions (56.41%) and belonging to low socioeconomic status (46.15%). Thirty (76.92%) were found to have a precipitating factor. Myoclonus was the most common phenomenology observed in these patients (30.76%), followed by tremor (20.51%), dystonia (17.94%), and gait abnormality (7.69%). Chorea (5.12%) and tics (2.56%) were uncommon. Tremor (37.5%) and dystonia (18.75%) were more common in girls, whereas myoclonus (39.13%) was more common in boys. Conclusions: The symptoms of FMD have great impact on the mental health, social, and academic functioning of children. It is important to identify the precipitating factors and associated psychiatric comorbidities in these children as prompt alleviation of these factors by engaging parents and the child psychiatrist will yield better outcomes.

Automated summary

The study retrospectively reviewed 39 pediatric FMD patients regarding their socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, with majority from urban areas and low socioeconomic status. The main symptoms included myoclonus, tremor, and dystonia. Identifying precipitating factors and psychiatric comorbidities is crucial for the management of pediatric FMD.