Clinical Patterns of Primary Dystonias among Hospitalized Patients in Baghdad and Kut in Iraq

Aim of study: This study was carried out to describe characteristics of 22 primary dystonic patients and their response to therapy. Patients and method: Twenty-two patients were entered into the study from Baghdad teaching hospital, Al-Kadhymia teaching hospital in Baghdad, privet nursery home teaching hospital in Baghdad, and Alzehraa teaching hospital in Kut south to Baghdad from January 2005 to January 2008. All cases were primary dystonia, secondary dystonia has been excluded from our study. Neuroimiging and slit Lampe examination have been done for all cases, L-Dopa in dose of 10/mg/kg/day for 2 weeks was giving for all patients. Type of study is a retrospective cohort study. All patients were followed in the outpatient clinics of the hospitals mentioned previously with frequent neurological examinations. Results: Out of 22 patients, 15 (68%) patients were females, 7 (32%) were males. According to descriptive classifications of dystonia by age of onset, fourteen patients (64%) were of early onset and eight (36%) being late onset (26 years and older). Three patients had generalized dystonia, 19 patients had focal dystonia {11 (58%) cases were cervical (TORTICOLIS) type, 5 (26%) blepharospasm type and segmental (LIMBES) dystonia 3 (16%)}. All cases were given L-DOPA in dose 10/mg/kg for 2 weeks, only two cases shown clinical response for the drug inform of absence of abnormal movements and improve quality of life. Conclusion: Dystonia is rare; however, early onset dystonia are more common than late onset. Dystonia are more common in females than in males and focal dystonia is more common than generalized dystonia.