What Is the Difference Between Tremors and Parkinsons Disease?
The most common cause of tremor (involuntary shaking) is a condition called essential tremor. Both essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are movement disorders. A movement disorder can be defined as any disease or injury that interferes with an individual’s movement. ET and PD are different conditions but are sometimes associated because they share many features. Essential tremor is a disease of the body’s system of nerves characterized by tremors. Areas affected most often include the hands, arms, head, and sometimes the voice. Essential tremor does not affect life expectancy, but it can become disabling for many common activities, such as writing and eating. ET also does not increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms of essential tremor include: • Involuntary tremors that occur for brief periods of time • A shaking voice • Nodding head • Tremors that worsen during periods of emotional stress • Tremors that get worse with purposeful movement • Tremor lessens with
