OBJECTIVE: Patients with primary dystonia have been reported to have a major incidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The objective of the present work is to review the studies that investigated the association between OCD and primary dystonia. METHODS: Articles that correlated both conditions, including case-control and descriptive studies as well as case-reports and series, were selected. Articles were searched on Medline and Lilacs. RESULTS: Twelve articles were found, and eight were case-control studies. In half of case-control studies, obsessive-compulsive symptoms were more common in patients with dystonia than controls, while in the other half there was no such a difference. CONCLUSION: As the results are controversial, definite conclusion regarding the association between dystonia and OCD cannot be established.
Primary dystonia; obsessive-compulsive disorder; basal ganglia
