Benign tremulous Parkinson ’ s disease

Objective : To analyze the long-term outcomes of patients presenting with pure parkinsonian tremor and to determine whether or not such patients develop the other features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) eventually. Methods and materials : Two hundred fifty-one patients with PD followed at our referral center, were examined regularly. In this study, we evaluated the longterm follow up of the the patients with parkinsonian tremor without bradykinesia or rigidity. Results : The mean disease duration was 5 years (range : 2-10 yrs.) at the last follow-up visit. This final group included 7 female and 16 male patients with a mean age of 66.6 ± 10.8 years. Four groups of patients were identified. First group consisted of 15 patients presenting with rest tremor, most prominently in one upper limb and/or contra-lateral upper limb. In the second group, there were 3 patients who had parkinsonian tremor with greatest severity in one lower limb and ipsilateral upper limb. Group 3 comprised 2 patients who had parkinsonian tremor in only one lower limb. The fourth group comprised 3 patients with isolated jaw tremor. Conclusions : Some patients with pure parkinsonian tremor may remain without bradykinesia or rigidity for a long time, which may be considered a benign form of Parkinson’s disease.