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A Population-Based Study in the Province of Mersin, Turkey

Okan Dogu, MD; Serhan Sevim, MD; Elan D. Louis, MD, MS; Hakan Kaleagasi, MD; Mihriban Aral, MD

Arch Neurol. 2004;61:386-389.

Background  Body mass index (BMI) is an important health indicant. Individuals with a low BMI are more prone to various health problems and have an increased risk of mortality. A reduced BMI in essential tremor (ET) patients who were referred to a tertiary referral center was previously demonstrated. To our knowledge, this has not been confirmed in other groups of ET patients with different demographic characteristics or in a group of unselected ET patients living in the population.

Objective  To compare BMI in ET case and control subjects in a population-based study in the province of Mersin.

Interventions  The epidemiological survey used door-to-door examinations to evaluate 2253 residents in Mersin. There were 89 ET cases (mean age, 57.3 years) who were matched to 89 controls based on sex, ward (area of residence), and age. The BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.

Results  The mean ± SD BMI in ET cases was 26.0 ± 4.3 vs 27.5 ± 5.0 in controls (P = .04), representing, on average, a 5.5% reduction in cases. In a linear regression analysis that adjusted for age, sex, years of education, socioeconomic status, urban vs rural dwelling, cognitive screen score, and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score, the BMI was lower in cases than in controls (P = .02).

Conclusions  A reduction in BMI is a common accompaniment of neurodegenerative diseases; a mild reduction also seems to be a feature of ET. It is important for physicians to be aware of the potential for a low BMI in their ET patients so that nutrition can be addressed as part of the treatment plan.

From the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey (Drs Dogu, Sevim, Kaleagasi, and Aral); and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, the Department of Neurology, and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (Dr Louis).