Gender differences in benign essential blepharospasm.

PURPOSE: Detection of differences in disease characteristics between male and female patients with benign essential blepharospasm (BEB).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed charts of 32 male and 61 female BEB patients, comparing the time interval between treatments with botulinum toxin A. We prospectively compared BEB-related questionnaire results between 36 female and 15 male patients.

RESULTS

The mean interval between treatment in weeks was 16.69 for men and 17.31 for women (p = 0.19). The questionnaire results showed a higher degree of symptom severity and frequency in women over men. (p = 0.008), but similar responses for disease-related handicap in daily activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Aside from greater symptom severity and frequency among women, we found no significant differences between male and female patients with BEB.