Syndrome de tremblements épisodiques de la tête chez le bouledogue anglais : prévalence, sémiologie et investigation diagnostique
Many English bulldogs (EB) were presenting head tremors. The 3 objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of Episodic Head Tremor Syndrome (EHTS) in Quebec’s EB, to characterize the semiology of the syndrome and to determine if there is an underlying cause to this syndrome. The prevalence study was completed by contacting all the owners of EB presented to the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire between 2005 and 2012. Twenty-two of 116 owners confirmed the presence of EHTS episodes, resulting in a prevalence of 19% (CI 95% 12.3-27.3%) of EHTS in Quebec’s EB. A male sex predisposition was identified (p=0.017). The retrospective study was conducted using an online detailed survey submitted to affected EB’s owners that voluntarily enrolled in the study. The 71 retained surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics. EHTS is characterized by rapid head tremors that start at approximately 1.7 years of age (median), are less than 30 minutes in duration, of variable frequency, occasionally triggered by stress, and can sometimes be interrupted. The tremors cause anxiety but are otherwise benign and have a spontaneous resolution rate of 40%. Amongst the 5 affected EB that underwent diagnostic testing (neurological examination, bloodwork, urinalysis, endocrine function testing, brain magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, electromyography and cerebrospinal fluid analysis), no underlying anatomical or metabolic abnormality was identified. In conclusion, EHTS is a common but benign condition in EB. The pathophysiology is still undetermined. This syndrome needs recognition to avoid useless and potentially harmful treatment.
dog English Bulldog tremors dyskinesia epilepsy