The Spectrum of Movement Disorders in Tertiary Care Centers in India: A Tale of Three Cities

BACKGROUND: Movement disorders constitute a major burden among the neurological disorders. Overall prevalence and distribution of disorders requiring medical resources remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To understand the pattern of movement disorders burden in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective electronic database review of new patients attending movement disorders clinics in three cities from 2012 to 2018 was done. RESULTS: 14,561 patients (M:F-9,578:4,983) with mean age at assessment of 60.5 ± 14.9 years (Range: 1–98 years) were analyzed. The major broad syndromic diagnosis included: Parkinsonism (n = 9560, 64.9%), Dystonia (n = 2159, 14.8%), Tremors (n = 1129, 7.7%), Ataxia (n = 475, 3.3%), Chorea (n = 402, 2.7%), Peripheral induced movement disorders (n = 400, 2.7%), Gait Disorders (n = 156, 1.1%), Tics (n = 112, 0.8%), Restless Leg Syndrome (n = 89, 0.6%), and Myoclonus (n = 58, 0.4%). The syndromic diagnosis also included the functional disorders (0.6%). CONCLUSION: This large database from India show the burden of different movement disorders in tertiary clinics. In addition, it also gives insight into disorders requiring more resources for evaluation and management.