Essential Tremors

Essential tremor is a symptom that can occur in normal people when they are in a particularly intense state, such as when they are excited, stressed or anxious or after they have consumed a caffeinated beverage. However, if the tremor becomes more severe, it is possible that this is not a normal kind of tremor but rather an “essential tremor” that, if left untreated, can affect both living and future work prospects.

 

 

1. Genetics: This disease has been found to be transmitted by a dominant gene. 

2. Environmental: Some foods have been found to increase risk of this disease.

 

Tremor can be a preliminary cause of many diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, when the tremor happen on one hand and happen when the hand is not moving. However, in essential tremor, the patient will experience hand tremors on both sides, and the symptoms will clearly present themselves when trying to grab objects such as when using the hand to grab a spoon to scoop rice, or it might happen when trying to write, and when the patient experiences this disease for a long time, tremors will also occur in other areas such as the head or when speaking, etc.

 

When a person notices that his or her hands are beginning to tremble, and the tremors are happening on both hands and are connected to stress, anxiety or exercise, they could be just ordinary tremors that can be found in normal people. However, if the hand tremors are not connected to the aforementioned situations and they continue to occur constantly or continue to worsen over time, you should seek a doctor in order to determine the root cause.  

 

For patients who experience non-severe essential tremor that does not impact their daily living, for example, if they can write well, use their hands to hold a cup and drink without spilling, and to hold the spoon for having foods effectively, they might not require treatment, but they can consult a doctor in order to receive recommendations and monitor their symptoms. On the other hand, if their tremor affects daily living such as when their hand differs from before when writing or if they spill water when trying to drink from a cup or they cannot use a spoon to dish rice, or if their hands shake so much that it affects their character and they feel too ashamed to socialize, they should visit a doctor to seek medications to reduce their tremor symptoms.

 

1. Medication treatment: Propranolol is the initial medication used to treat this condition. Doctors will start by prescribing a small dose and then gradually increase it if there are no side effects. This medication requires some caution when used with patients with heart disease or some types of pulmonary diseases, and if the patient experience side effects, the medication might be changed to another drug like topiramate or gabapentin.

 

2. Ultrasound treatment: Doctors will use an MRI machine to identify a specific site of the brain known as the thalamus, which is the origin of the tremor, and then apply sound waves at this location to stop essential tremor. One benefit of this technique is that it does not require brain surgery.

 

3. Deep brain stimulation: This is a brain surgery that implants an electrode in the thalamus. A device is used to make the electrode implantation more precise such as a metal frame that keeps the patient’s head immobile, along with MRI imagery of the brain and physical examination of the patient’s body during surgery, an electrical device installed beneath the skin of the patient’s chest is used to control the electrical signals.

 

Essential tremors can occur in many diseases like Parkinson’s disease and sometimes be caused by certain medications. Therefore, if you notice abnormal hand tremors, you should seek a doctor for an evaluation and treatment.