Essential Tremor

Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disorder characterized by shaking of hands and sometimes other parts of the body including the head evoked by intentional movements. The incidence is unknown, but is estimated to be as common as one person in 20, and it is the most common type of tremor and also the most commonly observed movement disorder.

Half of the cases are due to gene mutation and transmitted dominantly. The rest are idiopathic. While no identifiable and consistent structural abnormality has yet been demonstrated to exist in the nervous system of every person with ET, prominent researchers including Elan D. Louis are searching actively for neurochemical and brain structure abnormalities that might be commonplace among people with ET.

Tremor intensity can worsen in response to fatigue, strong emotions, hunger, cold, or other factors and can be reduced with alcohol in approximately 50 percent of patients. However, an over-reliance on alcohol to control tremor symptoms can sometimes lead to alcohol addiction.

Drug treatment may include tranquilizers, beta-blockers, and antiepileptic drugs. Surgical treatments include botulism toxin injections into the affected muscles, thalamotomy, pallidotomy, and deep brain stimulation – the insertion of a "pacemaker" into the brain. The two medications that are prescribed most commonly for control of ET symptoms are the anticonvulsant Primidone (Mysoline®) and the beta-blocker propranolol (Inderal®). Minor cases of ET can be treated with physical therapy and development of the muscles in the sections of the body that are severe in their shaking.

...More at Wikipedia

Related Links:

• International Essential Tremor Foundation
• US National Library of Medicine
• Mayo Clinic

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