TY - JOUR
T1 - The natural history of drop attacks
AU - Meissner, Irene
AU - Wiebers, David O.
AU - Swanson, Jerry W.
AU - O’Fallon, W. Michael
PY - 1986/8
Y1 - 1986/8
N2 - We grouped 108 patients with drop attacks, according to potential mechanisms based on predominant associated medical conditions, as follows: unknown, 69 (64%); cardiac, 13 (12%); cerebrovascular insufficiency, 9 (8%); combined cardiac and cerebrovascular disease, 8 (7%); seizures, 5 (5%); vestibular, 3 (3%); and psychogenic, 1(1%). Fifty-four percent of the patients received no treatment, but similar percentages of treated (82%) and untreated (84%) patients were symptom-free at follow-up. The stroke rate in the overall group, approximately 0.5% per year, was not significantly different from that in a normal age- and sex-matched population. The favorable long-term outcome in drop attack patients with unrevealing medical and neurologic workups suggests that treatment is unwarranted for an isolated drop attack.
AB - We grouped 108 patients with drop attacks, according to potential mechanisms based on predominant associated medical conditions, as follows: unknown, 69 (64%); cardiac, 13 (12%); cerebrovascular insufficiency, 9 (8%); combined cardiac and cerebrovascular disease, 8 (7%); seizures, 5 (5%); vestibular, 3 (3%); and psychogenic, 1(1%). Fifty-four percent of the patients received no treatment, but similar percentages of treated (82%) and untreated (84%) patients were symptom-free at follow-up. The stroke rate in the overall group, approximately 0.5% per year, was not significantly different from that in a normal age- and sex-matched population. The favorable long-term outcome in drop attack patients with unrevealing medical and neurologic workups suggests that treatment is unwarranted for an isolated drop attack.
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U2 - 10.1212/wnl.36.8.1029
DO - 10.1212/wnl.36.8.1029
M3 - Article
C2 - 3736867
AN - SCOPUS:0022447471
SN - 0028-3878
VL - 36
SP - 1029
EP - 1034
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
IS - 8
ER -