What is it about ?
Essential tremors are characterized by small, involuntary movements of the arms, hands, or head. There are no other complaints. The cause is not well known.
It is a benign condition. It is not a disease of the brain. The tremors, however, can be so severe that they prevent you from carrying out your daily activities.
Heredity plays an important role: in 60% of cases other family members have the same problem. Coffee and tobacco consumption, fever, anxiety, or an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can make the tremors worse.
What is their frequency?
Essential tremors affect 1 in 20 older people over 40 years old. But young people can also suffer from it. One in 2 people affected is under 40 years old.
How to recognize them?
The tremors start as soon as the person does something. They can be noticed, for example, when she holds out her arms or lifts a glass. Stress makes tremors worse.
Parkinson’s disease is also accompanied by tremors, but this is another form of tremors that occurs mainly at rest. This is not the case with essential tremors.
How is the diagnosis made?
The doctor will ask you questions first and then examine you. He will check to see if your brain and nerves are working properly. This is usually sufficient to make the diagnosis.
An additional examination is rarely performed. Indeed, there is no specific test to demonstrate that these are essential tremors.
What can you do ?
Some general measures can decrease symptoms and have a positive effect on tremors: avoiding stress, quitting smoking, getting enough rest, etc.
What can your doctor do?
The doctor may, depending on the severity of the symptoms, prescribe medication to reduce the tremors. The most widely used drug is propranolol. Sometimes medication for epilepsy is also used.
If the tremor affects the head, sometimes botulinum toxin is injected. If symptoms do not improve with medication and seriously affect quality of life, neurosurgery may be considered.
Want to know more?
- Propranolol – CBIP – Belgian Center for Pharmacotherapeutic Information
- Botulinum toxin – CBIP – Belgian Center for Pharmacotherapeutic Information
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