Incidence and characteristics of spontaneous involuntary movements in the elderly: study of 44 cases

Abstract

Involuntary repetitive movements in which several muscle groups are involved are described in connection with several mental and physical syndroms. In this study those occurring in the elderly, when age seems solely to be influencing, are focalized. We found that 36.36% of the residents in an old people home had those symptoms. They were mostly buccolinguomastigatory, less intense but similar to those found in tardive dyskinetic patients. There was a tendency of increasing their incidence with age and sometimes they appeared together with other extrapyramidal manifestations such as parkinsonism. The possibility and importance of a lack of balance between dopaminergic and cholinergic systems to explain those symptoms are discussed.Dos pacientes internados num asilo para pessoas idosas 36,36% que não tinham tido qualquer contato anterior com neurolépticos, apresentavam movimentos involuntários menos intensos, mas muito semelhantes ao da discinesia tardia. A incidência desses movimentos tendia a aumentar com a idade e muitas vezes eram concomitantes a sinais de parkinsonismo. Alguns achados da literatura indicariam que esses movimentos e as hipercinesias da discinesia tardia poderiam ser produzidos por mecanismos comuns. No particular, entraria em jogo um desequilíbrio entre sistemas colinérgicos e dopaminérgicos