Tremor is the abnormal movement of the hands leading to rhythmic shacking of different parts of the body. It is commonly seen in hands, but can cause involvement of arms, head, voice, legs, and body, thus causing difficulty in writing, and causing social embarrassment. It may not be continuous and can be intermittent with breaks in-between, or it can be continuous. Tremor may not be life-threating, but it can cause difficulty in working

• Shaking of the hands while trying to do hold objects, write, eat or dress
• Head shaking
• Lip or eyelid twitching
• Eyelid blinking
• Face twitching
• Shakiness of the voice
• Shaking of the legs, affecting balance and difficulty in walking

Tremor is caused by abnormalities in cerebellum and other brain areas, which control motor function. Tremor is a symptom seen in different neurological disorders such as essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and ataxia. Each of these neurological disorders have characteristics. It is also seen in common conditions like heavy exercise, stress, anxiety, fever, dehydration, B12 deficiency, thyroid disorders, stroke, paralysis, brain stroke, alcohol dependence, alcohol withdrawal, drug withdrawal.

A qualified neurologist is the doctor you should approach

Your neurologist will take a detailed history and examination and ask for other neurological symptoms. Depending on the analysis, like family history, age of onset, and other symptoms, investigations like complete hemogram, B12 levels, thyroid function tests and brain scans may be done to determine the exact cause

Tremor treatment will depend on whether tremor is at rest tremor or action tremor (often due to essential tremor). Rest tremor is treated with levodopa
(if other symptoms of Parkinson are present), whereas action tremor is initially treated with primidone or propranolol. In refractory cases, Botulinum toxin is used. For refractory tremor, surgical options include deep brain stimulations.

Essential tremor is a neurological disorder, which presents tremor while doing a task. The hands are mostly commonly involved in essential tremor, but can also occur in the head. There may be a history of such tremor in other members of the family. Symptoms of anxiety and depression might also be present. Essential tremor is very common neurological disorders.

Parkinson’s tremor is like a “rest tremor” Which is the tremor is present when a person at rest and reduces/stops during movement. In addition to tremor, Parkinson’s patients also have associated signs such as slowness, stiffness, and balance problems. Parkinson’s tremor often starts with one limb and may involve the other limb as disease evolves. Levodopa treatment might reduce Parkinson’s tremor to some extent, but all patient’s tremor might not respond to treatment.

Alcohol can reduce your essential tremor for a brief time. However, excess alcohol can cause tremor and other mood changes which can worsen tremor

Essential tremor may worsen slowly worsen over the years. However, tremor may be mild to moderate throughout their lives in most of the patients. However, some patients with severe essential tremor have significant worsening with age. Most patients with essential tremor will have normal healthy lives. Most people have mild tremor and may not need intervention. Some may need medication or modification in tasks like eating, drinking, or buttoning. However, an essential tremor doesn’t usually affect life expectancy

Yes the person can go to school and office.