ArticleBMC neurology2026
Ethnic and racial characteristics of hemifacial spasm in Hawaii: a clinical cohort analysis.
Article in BMC neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHemifacial spasm (HFS) is frequently reported in Asian populations, yet most prior studies arise from homogeneous ethnic cohorts, limiting our understanding of racial and ethnic disparities as well as potential diagnostic biases. Hawaii's multiethnic community-which includes large Asian and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations with regionally high rates of hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors-offers an opportunity to explore disparities in patients with HFS in a unique epidemiological context.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from 60 HFS patients at a single center and compared racial/ethnic proportions to a clinic-wide cohort of 1,019 neurological patients. Expected counts for each racial group in the HFS cohort were computed from the clinic data, and a chi-square goodness-of-fit test assessed differences between observed and expected counts. Additionally, cardiovascular risk factors in our HFS cohort were evaluated against the statewide population of Hawaii to determine whether these comorbidities were disproportionately represented in the HFS cohort.
resultsAsians comprised 42% of HFS cases but only 23% of the clinic population, while NHPIs represented 30% of cases and 29% of the clinic population. Whites were underrepresented in HFS cases (22%) compared to the clinic population (32%). The chi-square test showed significant deviation from expected clinic proportions (χ² =13.32, df = 3, p < 0.01), driven primarily by Asian overrepresentation. In the multivariate analysis adjusting for age and sex, Asian patients had 3.17-fold (p = 0.003) higher odds of an HFS diagnosis compared to Whites.
conclusionWithin a multiethnic neurologic clinic, Asian patients, particularly Asian women, are significantly overrepresented among those affected by HFS, consistent with prior work. These findings underscore the need for further research into genetic, anatomic, hormonal, or healthcare-related contributors to these disparities, especially in ethnically diverse regions like Hawaii.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.