YOU AREN'T ALONE

ET, Essential Tremor, is a progressive neurological disease that can worsen over time, leading to serious disability. There isn’t a cure for ET. It often runs in families. It can start at any age and does not discriminate by race, sex, or national origin.

​Tremors may begin in your hands, voice, head, legs, internal organs, or involve the entire body. ET isn’t just tremors, and we at DSF are committed to uncovering the mystery and cause.
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​Essential Tremor
Other names for Essential Tremor disease
  • Familial Tremor
  • Benign Essential Tremor
  • Hereditary Essential Tremor
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What is Essential Tremor Disease?
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​Have you ever observed someone's hands, head, or body trembling when holding a glass, trying to write, or just sitting still, wondering what is wrong with them? 

Essential Tremor is a progressive neurological disease that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs, or trunk, the most significant movement disorder worldwide, affecting over 160 million people (including children). 

Essential tremor (ET) is a prevalent neurological disease whose primary motor feature is action tremor. However, patients often present with intention tremor, mild gait ataxia, and other features of cerebellar dysfunction. ET is a neurological disease with a problem with movement control: either excessive movement or a paucity of voluntary and automatic movements unrelated to muscle weakness or paralysis.

The disease typically begins in one hand or arm. Over time, the other hand or arm may also be affected, and it can spread to involve the legs, head, and voice. It can sometimes become quite severe, making everyday activities difficult. ET isn’t only a social problem; it can also disrupt all aspects of your life, such as walking and speech, which can be hard when your voice quivers and you have trouble talking. Loss of your abilities makes it hard to find a sense of purpose in life. The tremor is usually absent at rest but becomes noticeable when the affected body part is held in a position or moved. The tremor can be present at all times and may worsen with stress, fatigue, hunger, or certain emotions, such as anger. Extreme temperature changes may also intensify the tremor. 

Tremor is an unintentional, somewhat rhythmic, muscle movement characterized by to-and-fro (oscillatory) movements of one or more body parts.

Essential tremor (previously called benign essential tremor) is the most common form of abnormal tremor. (In some people, tremor is a symptom of a neurological disorder or appears as a side effect of certain drugs.)  

Although it may be mild and nonprogressive in some people, in others the tremor is slowly progressive, starting on one side of the body but eventually affecting both sides.

Hand tremor is most common, but the head, arms, voice, tongue, legs, and trunk may also be involved. Hand tremor may cause problems with purposeful movements such as eating, writing, sewing, or shaving.

Head tremor may be seen as a "yes-yes" or "no-no" motion. ET may be accompanied by mild gait disturbance. Heightened emotion, stress, fever, physical exhaustion, or low blood sugar may trigger tremors or increase their severity.

There may be mild degeneration in certain parts of the cerebellum in persons with ET.  

Onset is most common after age 40, although symptoms can appear at any age. Children of a parent who has essential tremor have up to a 50 percent chance of inheriting the condition. 
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GET HELP WITH TREATMENT

Resources to Help Navigate ET!
What are Movement Disorders?

Have you ever observed someone's hands, head, or body trembling when they are holding a glass, trying to write, or just sitting still, and wondered what was wrong with them? 

Movement disorders are neurological disorders characterized by disturbances in movement control: either excessive movement or a paucity of voluntary and automatic movements, unrelated to muscle weakness or paralysis.

WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK?

Essential tremor is a progressive disease. This means that it tends to gets worse over time. ​ There isn't a cure for Essential Tremor.

Essential Tremor Classification of Disease
Despite its prevalence, it wasn't until 2013 that essential tremor was given its own specific diagnostic code, one that's distinct from other tremors, in the 10th edition of the World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems (ICD) code book. ICD-10-CM Code for Essential tremor G25.0
ICD-10 code G25.0 for Essential tremor is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Diseases of the nervous system.  
​Essential tremor (ET) is a progressive and highly prevalent neurologic disease.
The ICD-10-CM code for essential tremor 
  • The ICD-10-CM code G25.0 was the first specific diagnostic code for essential tremor.
  • Essential tremor is a common neurological disease that causes kinetic tremors in the arms.
  • Other features of essential tremor include postural, rest, and intentional tremors, as well as motor and non-motor features.


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Join the Fight for ET
​The medical information contained is for general information purposes only. It is crucial that care and treatment decisions related to Essential Tremor disease and any other medical condition be made in consultation with a physician or other qualified medical professional.
Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor