Hand trembling at a young age
If hand tremor occurs at a young age, it is often an increased form of physiological (normal) muscle tremor, often associated with caffeine, nicotine or alcohol consumption or as a symptom of increased nervousness or anxiety. The essential tremor described above can also occur at a young age. It usually manifests itself around the age of forty or so, but can also occur in childhood.
Hyperthyroidism is also not untypical at a young age and is sometimes, but not necessarily, accompanied by tremor. At an advanced age, trembling of the hands is more often a Parkinson’s disease. Approximately one percent of all people over the age of 60 are affected by the disease. Furthermore, with increasing age, there is often an increase in the physiological tremor of the muscles, which should not normally be visible.
Therapy
The therapy depends entirely on the underlying cause. If it is an increased physiological tremor, it is usually not treated with medication, but rather the consumption of coffee or nicotine is reduced. If the tremor is caused by pathological anxiety or nervousness, psychotherapy may be recommended.
If there is a neurological cause, drugs are increasingly used. These include anti-epileptic drugs, which make the nerve cells less excitable. Primidon is a common anti-epileptic drug used to treat muscle tremor.
Beta-blockers, which are normally more likely to be used in heart failure or arrhythmia, can also be used to treat tremor. In Parkinson’s disease, a lack of dopamine is a sign of tremor, so drugs are used to make dopamine available again. L-dopa, a precursor of dopamine, is usually used for this.
Alternatively, drugs that increase the effect of dopamine can be used. If there is a severe form of essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease that cannot be treated sufficiently with medication, there is the surgical method of deep brain stimulation. In this procedure, electrodes are inserted into a specific area of the brain and an electrode is connected under the skin to a pacemaker.
Nerve cells can now be inhibited above the pacemakers so that tremor is suppressed. This method shows good therapeutic success in most patients.
