History

Essential tremor is one of the progressive diseases. This means that with increasing age the symptoms often get worse. As the cause is mainly assumed to be hereditary, the predisposition for the disease is already present in childhood.

Here, however, it often does not appear yet, why is unclear. In the age of 20 and 60 years most people experience the first symptoms. From here on, the symptoms of the disease become worse and worse over time.

It is noticeable that the frequency of tremor decreases, but the amplitude increases. In severe cases, people who are affected in such phases sometimes cannot hold on to objects anymore. But this process does not apply to all affected persons. There have also been reports of cases in which the severity of the tremor has remained the same for a long time and it does not have a strong effect on everyday life until old age. An improvement of the symptoms over time is very rare, but has been described.

Essential tremor in young people

Essential tremor, like almost any other tremor, can also occur in young people. It occurs most frequently around the age of 40. If symptoms occur earlier, such as recurring tremors of the hands or other parts of the body, essential tremor may also be present. This is also known as the juvenile form. Therefore, if a young person shows symptoms that resemble tremor, a doctor should be consulted for clarification.

Degree of disability

It is difficult to determine the degree of disability in the presence of essential tremor because the course of the disease is different in many people and can occur frequently or intermittently. In addition, there are no precise assessment guidelines for the diagnosis of essential tremor, as is the case with Parkinson’s disease. These guidelines list precisely which limitations lead to which degree of disability.

However, the limitations described here often relate to general mobility. However, essential tremor rarely has an influence on this, but rather on active movements such as grasping a glass or writing a text. An expert opinion from a qualified doctor is therefore all the more important when applying for a degree of disability.