Prevalence of Dystonia in Antioquia, Colombia

Background: There are few published epidemiological studies concerning dystonia. Its true prevalence has been difficult to establish. There is no data published in Latin America on this matter.

Methods: In this study the prevalence of dystonias in the Department of Antioquia (Colombia) was estimated using a capture-recapture methodology with log-linear modeling, including cases in 3 centers for neurological referrals that cover the Department of Antioquia from 2007 to 2012.

Results: The overall prevalence was 712 per 1,000,000 (95% CI 487-937). Of the total of 874 patients, 79% had primary dystonias, and 75.5% had focal dystonias. The delay in diagnosis was longer for primary dystonias, with a median of 1 year.

Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of dystonias in Antioquia. The frequency of the different types of dystonias, as well as the demographic characteristics of our patients, is similar to data from other populations of the world.