Abstract
Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders with prevalence estimates ranging from 0.4 to 5% [1]. It is common to see several members of the same family affected and it is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. ET may present as early as childhood, but most commonly occurs in older adults and males and females are equally affected. Tremor frequency is generally 4–12 Hz with variable amplitude. The tremor is most commonly postural and/or kinetic and is generally not present in the rest position. It is not uncommon for the tremor to be increased with anxiety or stress [2]. It has been estimated that upper extremity tremor is present in 95% of ET patients, head tremor is present in 34%, lower extremity tremor in 20%, voice tremor in 12% and involvement of the tongue, face or trunk in 5% [3]. The main disability is related to activities requiring use of the dominant hand such as writing, eating, drinking, and other activities requiring fine movements.
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Nazzaro, J.M., Lyons, K.E., Pahwa, R. (2009). Management of Essential Tremor. In: Lozano, A.M., Gildenberg, P.L., Tasker, R.R. (eds) Textbook of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69960-6_104
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69960-6_104
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