A Screening Tool to Quickly Identify Movement Disorders in Patients with Inborn Errors of Metabolism

Mov Disord. 2023 Apr;38(4):646-653. doi: 10.1002/mds.29332. Epub 2023 Feb 2.

Abstract

Background: Movement disorders are frequent in patients with inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) but poorly recognized, particularly by nonmovement disorder specialists. We propose an easy-to-use clinical screening tool to help recognize movement disorders.

Objective: The aim is to develop a user-friendly rapid screening tool for nonmovement disorder specialists to detect moderate and severe movement disorders in patients aged ≥4 years with IEMs.

Methods: Videos of 55 patients with different IEMs were scored by experienced movement disorder specialists (n = 12). Inter-rater agreements were determined on the presence and subtype of the movement disorder. Based on ranking and consensus, items were chosen to be incorporated into the screening tool.

Results: A movement disorder was rated as present in 80% of the patients, with a moderate inter-rater agreement (κ =0.420, P < 0.001) on the presence of a movement disorder. When considering only moderate and severe movement disorders, the inter-rater agreement increased to almost perfect (κ = 0.900, P < 0.001). Dystonia was most frequently scored (27.3%) as the dominant phenotype. Treatment was mainly suggested for patients with moderate or severe movement disorders. Walking, observations of the arms, and drawing a spiral were found to be the most informative tasks and were included in the screening tool.

Conclusions: We designed a screening tool to recognize movement disorders in patients with IEMs. We propose that this screening tool can contribute to select patients who should be referred to a movement disorder specialist for further evaluation and, if necessary, treatment of the movement disorder. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Keywords: diagnosis; inborn errors of metabolism; movement disorders; screening tool.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dystonia*
  • Dystonic Disorders* / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Metabolism, Inborn Errors* / diagnosis
  • Movement Disorders* / diagnosis
  • Movement Disorders* / etiology