Dystonia

INDEX

CLASSIFICATION OF DYSTONIA

There have been rather significant changes, all for the better, in the classification of dystonia.

Note firstly that the following terms are not of great value, or have been discarded:

A 2013 Consensus Statement improved the previous dystonia classification system and now recommends defining dystonia under two axes2:

Axis 1: Clinical features

Axis 2: Aetiology

The aim of the system is that, once a patient is classified phenomenologically according to the first axis (see figure below), a dystonia syndrome may then be defined, which is diagnostically useful3.

 

 

Axis I: Clinical Features: Defining the phenomena associated with dystonia         

                                         

      LINKS

 Age of onset

 Activating Condition

 Body distribution

 Temporal pattern

 Coexistence of other movement disorders,
and other neurological manifestations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

1            Jinnah HA, Albanese A. The New Classification System for the Dystonias: Why Was It Needed and How Was It Developed? Mov Disord Clin Pract 2014; 1: 280–4.

2            Albanese A, Sorbo F Del, Comella C, et al. Dystonia rating scales: critique and recommendations. Mov Disord 2013; 28: 874–83.

3            Fung VSC, Jinnah HA, Bhatia K, Vidailhet M. Assessment of patients with isolated or combined dystonia: An update on dystonia syndromes. Mov Disord 2013; 28: 889–98.