The type of surgery performed is specific to the type of dystonia that the patient has. A systematic review found that some patients benefit from deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery, but the studies may have been subject to financial bias. Prevalence
The disease is more commonly found amongst Ashkenazi Jews. The occurrence of torsion dystonia in the Ashkenazi Jewish population as stated by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut; "Reports dating to the beginning of this century describe Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) families with multiple cases of ITD either in siblings (Schwalbe 1908; Bernstein 1912; Abrahamson 1920) or in parents and offspring (Wechsler and Brock 1922; Mankowsky and Czerny 1929; Regensberg 1930). The first comprehensive evaluation of the mode of inheritance of ITD in Jewish and non-Jewish families was described by Zeman and Dyken (1967), who concluded that the disorder was inherited as an autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance in both populations. Although they concluded that the gene frequency was higher in the AJ population than in non-Jews, no difference in mode of inheritance or disease mechanism was construed." Research
A 1969 study of torsion dystonia patients found an average IQ 10 points higher than controls matched for age, sex and ethnic background. References
Further reading
https://web.archive.org/web/20060903085219/http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/classes/bioc461/Biochem499/AngelaPulsifer/dystonia1.htm
Risch, N. J.; Bressman, S. B.; Deleon, D; Brin, M. F.; Burke, R. E.; Greene, P. E.; Shale, H; Claus, E. B.; Cupples, L. A.; Fahn, S (1990). "Segregation analysis of idiopathic torsion dystonia in Ashkenazi Jews suggests autosomal dominant inheritance".
The male had difficulties releasing his grip, childhood-onset neuromyotonia and muscle stiffness, progressive motor neuropathy, finger cramping while and after writing, involuntary twitches of the finger, thigh and forearm muscles, foot drop-associated gait problems, hand weakness, hyporeflexia, and tongue percussion, his younger sister wasnt as affected as his brother, she only shared some of his symptoms, these include; upper and lower distal muscle weakness. Both siblings were revealed to have a chronic motor neuropathy, peripheral nerve fiber hyperexcitability, and multiple denervations. Muscle biopsies performed in the brother detected chronic partial denervation.Through the siblings reported by Hahn et al. and 50 new patients from 33 families across the world, it was found that this disorder is caused by HINT1 mutations. == References ==