Frequency of obsessive and compulsive symptoms in patients with blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm.

BACKGROUND Blepharospasm (BS) is a form of central focal dystonia recently associated with psychiatric disorders, particularly obsessive and compulsive symptoms. Hemifacial spasm (HFS) represents a focal myoclonus with peripheral origin in the facial nerve. OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of obsessive and compulsive symptoms in patients with BS in comparison with patients with HFS. METHODS 30 patients from each group (BS and HFS) followed by the botulinum toxin clinic at the HC-UFPR were evaluated using a structured interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Yale-Brown scale. Results were compared by the mean two-tailed t test. RESULTS We found obsessive or compulsive symptoms in 20 (66.6%) patients with BE and 21 (70%) with HFS. Yale-Brown scale scores for each group were higher among BS patients; however, diferences were not statisticaly significant. CONCLUSION Our study did not show a significant diference in the comparison of the prevalence of obsessive and compulsive symptoms among patients with BS and HFS.