Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study population.
| BoNT n=25 | Placebo n=23 | |
| Age, year (median; IQR) | 50.0 (40.0; 61.5) | 54.0 (37.0; 57.0) |
| Gender, n (%) | ||
| Male | 14 (56) | 14 (61) |
| Duration of disease, year (median; IQR) | 5.0 (2.1; 13.4) | 5.3 (2.2; 9.0) |
| Fahn and Williams diagnostic criteria, n (%) | ||
| Clinically definite | 18 (72.0) | 16 (69.6) |
| Clinically probable | 7 (28.0) | 7 (30.4) |
| Additional phenomenology based on PMDRS, n (%) | ||
| Dystonia | 12 (48.0) | 10 (43.5) |
| Tic | 3 (12.0) | 2 (8.7) |
| Distribution of jerks/tremor, n (%) | ||
| Abdomen | 12 (48.0) | 11 (47.8) |
| Extremity | 13 (52.0) | 12 (52.2) |
| Education level, n (%) | ||
| Primary school | 1 (4.0) | 2 (8.7) |
| Lower education | 4 (16.0) | 3 (13.0) |
| Medium education/higher school | 11 (44.0) | 12 (52.2) |
| Higher education/university | 9 (36.0) | 6 (26.1) |
| Unemployed | 17 (68.0) | 13 (56.5) |
| Disease-related* | 13 (52.0) | 11 (47.8) |
| Clinical neurophysiology, n (%)† | 13 (52.0) | 14 (60.9) |
| Pre-movement potential | 11 (61.5) | 11 (57.1) |
| Previous treatment, n (%)‡ | 21 (84.0) | 22 (95.7) |
| Rehabilitation | 4 (16.0) | 5 (21.7) |
| Physiotherapy | 8 (34.8) | 9 (36.0) |
| Psychotherapy | 5 (20.0) | 7 (30.4) |
| Other§ | 17 (68.0) | 17 (73.9) |
*Other forms of financial income included retirement (n=4 BoNT vs n=1 placebo), study (n=1 placebo).
†EEG-EMG with backaveraging could not be performed in the whole population.
‡More than one category could apply per patient.
§Other treatment includes acupuncture, homeopathic treatment, alternative medicine, hypnosis, benzodiazepines, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), anti-epileptics, dopamine-agonists.
BoNT, botulinum neurotoxin; EEG, electroencephalogram; EMG, electromyogram; PMDRS, Psychogenic Movement Disorder Rating Scale.