Frequency of obsessive and compulsive symptoms in patients with blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm

BACKGROND: Blepharospasm (BS) is a form of central focal dystonia recently associated with psychiatric disorders, particularly obsessive and compulsive symptoms. Hemifacial spasm (HFS) represents a focal myoclonus with peripheral origin in the facial nerve. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of obsessive and compulsive symptoms in patients with BS in comparison with patients with HFS. METHODS: 30 patients from each group (BS and HFS) followed by the botulinum toxin clinic at the HC-UFPR were evaluated using a structured interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Yale-Brown scale. RESULTS: were compared by the mean two-tailed t test. RESULTS: We found obsessive or compulsive symptoms in 20 (66.6%) patients with BE and 21 (70%) with HFS. Yale-Brown scale scores for each group were higher among BS patients; however, diferences were not statisticaly significant. CONCLUSION: Our study did not show a significant diference in the comparison of the prevalence of obsessive and compulsive symptoms among patients with BS and HFS.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Munhoz,Renato P., Teive,Helio A.G., Della Coletta,Marcus V., Germiniani,Francisco M.B., Iwamoto,Fábio M., Camargo,Carlos H.F., Werneck,Lineu César
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2005
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2005000200004
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