Treatment patterns in essential tremor: Real-world evidence from a United Kingdom and France primary care database

Background and purpose: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common neurological disorders, but information on treatment pattern is still scant. The aim of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and determinants of drug use in patients with newly diagnosed ET in France and the United Kingdom. Methods: Incident cases of ET diagnosed between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 with 2 years of follow-up were identified by using The Health Improvement Network (THIN®) general practice database. During the follow-up, we assessed the daily prevalence of use and potential switches from first-line to second-line treatment or other lines of treatment. Logistic regression models were conducted to assess the effect of demographic and clinical characteristics on the likelihood of receiving ET treatment. Results: A total of 2957 and 3249 patients were selected in the United Kingdom and France, respectively. Among ET patients, drug use increased from 12 months to 1 month prior the date of index diagnosis (ID). After ID, nearly 40% of patients received at least one ET treatment, but during follow-up drug use decreased and at the end of the follow-up approximately 20% of patients were still on treatment. Among treated patients, ≤10% maintained the same treatment throughout the entire follow-up, nearly 20% switched, and 40%–75% interrupted any treatment. Results from the multivariate analysis revealed that, both in France and the United Kingdom, patients receiving multiple concomitant therapies and affected by psychiatric conditions were more likely to receive an ET medication. Conclusion: This study shows that ET is an undertreated disease with a lower-than-expected number of patients receiving and maintaining pharmacological treatment. Misclassification of ET diagnosis should be acknowledged; thus, results require cautious interpretation.