Essential Tremor: Symptoms, Causes And Treatments

Essential tremor is common in the general population. In fact, it is the most common movement disorder, much more prevalent than Parkinson’s disease. Statistically, it is twenty times more prevalent than Parkinson’s among adults.

Overall, the most affected age group is people over sixty-five. However, experts believe that the most common age for the onset of the first symptoms is between forty and sixty years. However, there have also been cases of infants with these tremors.

Essential tremor is characterized by involuntary movements that manifest as persistent tremor. Tremors occur mainly in the upper limbs: Hands and arms. The episodes usually occur symmetrically and with pauses.

It is a chronic situation that continues over time. However, it is not manifested all day, and sometimes it is not even manifested every day.

Essential tremor is not life-threatening and is not associated with cognitive impairment or degeneration of the nervous system. Although it is categorized as benign, however, it is very bothersome.

After all, this disorder also affects the patient’s ability to perform many activities in everyday life. This includes writing, drinking a cup of tea or tying his shoelaces.

Also read: What is age-related macular degeneration

Causes of essential tremor

There are not enough scientific studies of the disorder to be able to determine the cause of the disease. This is because it is a benign condition that progresses slowly.

It is known, however, that essential tremor is a change in the connections of the nervous system in the nucleus of motion. The thalamus, the nigrostriatal pathway and the cerebellum are parts of the nervous system that are responsible for regulating bodily movements.

The scientific hypothesis is that essential tremor causes some of these regions to undergo an abnormal change that ultimately produces involuntary movements.

The existence of cases in the family where parents and children suffer from essential tremor primarily confirms a genetic component of the disorder. In fact, people also know this condition as “family tremor”.

Symptoms of essential tremor

First, it is important to distinguish this condition from Parkinson’s. The central feature of this condition is that the involuntary movements occur when the person performs a certain movement or tries to maintain a certain posture. In Parkinson’s, the involuntary movements occur at rest.

In addition to this key sign, which is tremors in the upper limbs, here are the other symptoms of the condition:

• Change of voice. Essential tremor can affect the larynx and alter the creation of voices in the vocal cords.
• Head movements. This is as if the person said “yes” or “no” with his head. However, it is involuntary.
• Difficulty performing daily activities. Sometimes the person is aware that they have difficulty grasping something, using a tool, or just typing, even if the tremors are not sufficiently clear.

If the symptoms are not treated, they tend to worsen with age. In fact, it is shown that the symptoms worsen and become more recurring when a person ingests a lot of caffeine. This also happens in stressful situations or after a bad night’s sleep.

Treatment options

First of all, we must state that there is no cure for essential tremor. Typically, the dietary advice that doctors recommend is to stop consuming caffeine. Medical professionals also recommend various courses of action for stress, such as psychotherapy or sleeping pills.

Also read: How to get less caffeine in your everyday life

In addition, some patients benefit from physiotherapy and kinesiotherapy sessions aimed at improving muscle control, coordination and balance.

Regarding the use of drug treatment, the following drugs are the most widely used and have the most scientific evidence:

• Propranolol. This is a beta blocker. In fact, it may be the most effective way to reduce symptoms. However, patients with heart disease should take this medicine with caution. This is especially true if there is a history of blocking. Moreover, they should always do this under professional supervision.

• Primidone. This is an antispasmodic.
• Antidepressants. Sometimes doctors recommend these to control the stress that may be causing the disorder.
• Anxiolytics. These can help with stress management and sleep regulation.
• Botulinum toxin. Sometimes doctors recommend this in injectable dosages in certain areas of the body. This is typically the head and hands.

Further advice

If the above treatments do not work, medical professionals may eventually prescribe more complex treatments. However, they store these for patients with very low response to drugs and an invalid clinical picture.

All in all, here are some other therapeutic options as a last resort:

• Stereotactic radiosurgery. This involves the use of high frequency radio frequency focused on a specific nervous system area.

• HIFU. This is the same as the above technique. However, this one uses non-ionizing ultrasonic waves.
• Stimulator implants. For this, medical professionals insert a device that sends electrical impulses to the thalamus.
• Thalamotomy. This consists of surgically opening parts of the thalamus. Today, medical professionals do not use traditional techniques. Instead, they tend to opt for radiosurgery or HIFU to avoid invasive surgery.