Risk factors of social anxiety in patients with essential tremor

OBJECTIVE: To study the risk factors of social anxiety (SA) in essential tremor (ET) patients. METHODS: Motor, cognition, and SA were evaluated using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTMTRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) for each subject. The potential risk factors of SA in ET were analyzed using univariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 80 ET patients and 85 healthy controls completed the evaluation. The LSAS evaluation showed that the prevalence of SA in the ET group was 48.8%, higher than that in controls (12.9%, P < 0.001). Female (OR = 4.959, P = 0.014), younger age (OR = 4.172, P = 0.037), and head tremor (OR = 4.707, P = 0.025) were risk factors of SA among ET patients. CONCLUSION: SA is prevalent in patients with ET. Risk factors, such as female sex, age, and head tremor, should be considered for the prevention and intervention of SA in ET patients.