A movement disorder that causes parts of your body to shake or tremble, essential tremor affects around 5% of individuals over the age of 60. Although the condition can develop anywhere on the body, essential tremor commonly occurs in the hands and arms. Tremors are not dangerous to your overall health, but they can get worse over time and eventually impact daily life. Because individuals commonly confuse essential tremor with the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it’s important to get diagnosed by a neurology expert.
Speak with a Bayhealth neurologist about essential tremor.
Signs and Symptoms
Tremors associated with this condition are grouped according to the physical movements or positions that trigger them.
- Action Tremors: This type of tremor occurs when you extend your arm to reach for an object such as a spoon, toothbrush or glass of water. Action tremors can cause daily tasks (shaving your face or applying makeup, for example) to become challenging.
- Postural Tremors: This type of tremor occurs when you attempt to hold a part of your body still for a moment, such as when you extend your arm to shake someone’s hand.
Essential tremor can also cause speech issues if your tongue or voicebox is affected.
Symptoms may worsen with fatigue, stress or caffeine.
Risk Factors and Prevention
Although exact causes of essential tremor aren’t always clear, the following factors may increase the risk of developing the condition.
- Age: Essential tremor is more common among individuals aged 40 and older.
- Family History: An inherited variety of essential tremor (familial tremor) can be passed to a child if one of their parents had the altered gene.
How We Diagnose Essential Tremor
While our experts commonly diagnose essential tremor through physical examinations of your symptoms, we may order additional testing to identify underlying conditions.
Diagnostic procedures include the following.
- Blood Work: A blood test may rule out thyroid conditions as well as rare, genetic conditions such as Wilson’s disease.
- Computerized Tomography (CT): Certified experts use computer-processed X-rays to generate a scan of your head or body in “slices” to create highly accurate images.
- Genetic Testing: Our neurologists take a sample of your blood and examine it for the genetic mutation that causes essential tremor.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): A combination of a magnetic field and radio waves creates three-dimensional images of specific areas of your body to determine if disease or physical abnormalities are present.
Treatment Options
Although no cure exists, the following methods can help manage symptoms of essential tremor.
- Drug Treatment: Beta-blockers (such as propranolol) and anti-seizure drugs (such as primidone) are commonly prescribed to treat essential tremor.
- Adaptive Devices: Many devices have been developed to improve tremor control, such as weighted items, vibration devices and peripheral nerve stimulators.
- Injections: Routine injections of botulinum toxin into the affected area can temporarily weaken your muscles and lessen the severity of your tremors.
Schedule an appointment to talk about essential tremor, or learn more about conditions treated by our neurology and neurosurgery experts.