RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and clinical feature of essential tremor (ET) in a community cohort of the elderly in Kashkar. METHODS: By using a door-to-door, two-phase screening approach, some 2834 residents of Hans ethnicity were investigated form 2008 to 2009. RESULTS: In this study, 184 ET patients were found. The prevalence rate of ET was 6.49%. The prevalence rate was increased with age and higher in men (8.45%) than in women (4.59%), especially in people aged above 75 years old. The prevalence rate of ET was 7.26% in illiterate people, followed by 7.27%, 5.81%, 5.58% and 9.37% in those having received primary, junior, senior high school and college. The ratio of windowed people in ET patients was 15.21%, higher to the ratio of windowed people in total number. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate of ET increased with age, but not influenced by education.