Blepharospasm: an analysis of typical medical practice and the effectiveness of therapy

Abstract

Introduction. Blepharospasm (BS) is a form of focal dystonia in which botulinum therapy (BT) has been used successfully, however, data on typical practice of patient management and the effectiveness of long-term BT in BS in our country are insufficient.Aim. To analyse the typical medical practice of management of patients with BS and the effectiveness of long-term BT.Materials and methods. A total of 50 patients with idiopathic BS, mean age 58 years (of which 37 were women) were included in the study. All patients were treated with botulinum toxin type A. Typical medical practice, erroneous diagnosis, time required to reach a correct diagnosis, severity of dystonia, and quality of life before BT and during a three-year prospective observation were analysed. The severity of dystonia was determined using the BS Disability Index (BSDI), and the quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D questionnaire.Results. The correct diagnosis was reached, on average, in 3 years. Upon onset of symptoms the majority of patients (84%) visited an ophthalmologist. Eye diseases and myasthenia gravis were the most common primary erroneous diagnosis in BS, which were treated with inadequate symptomatic therapy. After one-month BT, it was noted that the disability index decreased from an average of 13.6 ± 5.1 to 2.7 ± 2.3 scores (p < 0.001) according to BSDI and the quality of life increased from 59.9 ± 8.2 to 82.6 ± 6.4 scores (p < 0.001) according to the results of EQ-5D. Repeated BT injections (2–6 times a year) conducted for 3 years also resulted in essentially positive effect without significant adverse events. At the end of three years, the disability index decreased to 10.7 ± 4.7 scores, and the improvement in the quality of life reached 81.8 ± 5.9 scores according to the results of EQ-5D (p < 0.001).Conclusion. The low awareness of doctors, especially ophthalmologists, about the symptoms of BS and the widespread use of ineffective drugs was noted. The long-term regular (2–6 times a year) use of BT reduces the symptoms of the disease, improves the quality of life of patients and has no significant side effects.