Benign Essential Tremor

Benign essential tremor is defined as an involuntary, rhythmic oscillatory movement of a part or parts of the body, resulting from alternating or irregularly synchronous contractions of antagonist muscles. It 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 observed movement disorder.

A benign tremor inherited as a dominant character; it may be a rapid oscillation resembling .Benign essential tremor (ET) is a movement disorder most commonly characterized by shaking in the hands.Benign essential tremormay also cause shaking of the head, voice, arms . Tremor affects each person differently. Some people hardly notice it. Other people may be embarrassed by it. Benign Essential Tremor (ET) can be socially isolating. It may interfere with normal daily activities such as writing or speaking. If so, contact your doctor for an evaluation.

Disabling tremor unresponsive to medical treatment may be helped by contralateral thalamotomy. Unilateral high-frequency thalamic stimulation is an alternative approach that is equally effective, is associated with only mild and transient side effects, and is therefore preferred. Bilateral thalamotomy has significant morbidity, whereas the risks of bilateral stimulation are appreciably lower.

Cause of Benign Essential Tremor

Some common causes of Benign Essential Tremor :

• The cause of ET is unknown. However, it does run in families. When inherited, it is often called familial tremor. Children of parents with ET have a 50% chance of inheriting the condition.
• ET does sometimes occur in combination with other neurological disorders such as dystonia and benign fasciculation syndrome . However, there is no clear evidence that having ET predisposes a person to one of these diseases.
• Remor 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.

Symptoms of Benign Essential Tremor

Symptoms of Benign Essential Tremor may include:

• Uncontrollable, rhythmic, up-and-down movement
• Tremor worse with emotional stress
• Ingestion of alcoholic beverages improves the tremor (not a treatment!)
• Shaking only in certain positions or during activity
• Tremor involving hands and/or head
• Rarely can interfere with speech
• Rarely interferes with handwriting
• Shaking in hands, arms, head, voice, trunk, legs, or feet on both sides
• ET is usually painless, although in some cases tremor of the head or neck causes pain, and writing can become painful quickly for a person with hand tremors who grips a pen tightly in a struggle to maintain control over penmanship.
• Shaking that gets worse from caffeine, stress, fatigue, or heat

Treatment of Benign Essential Tremor

Treatment of Benign Essential Tremor :

• Staying well-rested
• Avoiding caffeine
• Avoiding stimulants often found in over-the-counter medications like cold remedies
• Avoiding temperature extremes
• Medications are prescribed only after other interventions (reducing stress, biofeedback, and avoiding stimulants) have failed.
• Propranolol (Inderal)
• Primidone
• Alprazolam for failed cases

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