Essential tremor (ET)

Essential Tremor - sometimes referred to as Benign Essential Tremor - is a fine to moderate tremor which has no known cause. Tremors are rhythmic, involuntary, alternating movements which may affect any part of the body.

Risk factors

If you have a parent with a genetic mutation for essential tremor, you have a 50 percent chance of developing the disorder yourself. When essential tremor affects more than one person in a family, it's often called familial tremor. The only other known risk factor is age — essential tremor usually appears later in life.

When to seek medical advice

See your doctor if tremors make it hard to perform daily activities or prevent you from living your life as fully as you would like. Your doctor can determine whether essential tremor is causing your problem and may be able to suggest treatments that will ease your symptoms.

Screening and diagnosis

You'll receive a diagnosis of essential tremor only after your doctor has ruled out all other possible causes for your symptoms. For that reason, you may undergo blood, urine and neurologic tests to check for problems such as thyroid disease, heavy metal poisoning, drug side effects and Parkinson's disease.

In addition, your doctor will take a complete medical history and perform a thorough physical and neurologic exam that may include checking your tendon reflexes, your muscle strength and tone, your ability to feel certain sensations and your posture and coordination.

The tremor itself may be evaluated in several ways, including performance tests in which you're asked to write, drink from a glass or hold a piece of paper.