WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE ESSENTIAL TREMOR? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
In ET, the tremors tend to occur during specific postures or actions such as drinking a beverage, said Prof Tan, which is the reason why such shakes are known as action tremors. These shaky actions can make tasks such as writing or brushing teeth difficult.
And it’s not only the hands. Sometimes, the tremors may be accompanied with a quivering sound in your voice, uncontrollable head-nodding and in some instances, tremors in your legs or feet.
“In ET, it is common for tremors to occur in multiple parts of the body at the same time,” said Prof Tan. “Around 10 per cent to 25 per cent of ET patients also experience head tremors, and 10 per cent experience voice tremors.”
Meanwhile, in Parkinson’s disease, “the tremors occur even when at rest, for example, when the hand is resting on a table or lap (called a rest tremor) as well as during specific actions or postures”, according to Prof Tan.
ET usually occurs in both hands, while the tremors of Parkinson’s disease can start from just one side. “Both types of tremors can be aggravated by stress and anxiety,” he said, adding that ET is 20 times more prevalent than Parkinson’s disease.
CAN HAVING ESSENTIAL TREMOR INCREASE YOUR RISK OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE?
“ET patients have a very small but higher risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s as compared to the general population,” said Prof Tan.
“Some genetic variants related to ET are also related to neurodegenerative diseases, which suggests overlaps in the mechanism causing Parkinson’s and ET, and the way the brain is affected, resulting in tremors.”
