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Essential tremor

Alternative Names: Tremor - essential Symptoms: The tremors: May be occasional (sporadic), temporary (episodic) or occurring at intervals (intermittent) Occur at a rate of about 6 to 10 oscillations per second May affect the head, hands, arms, eyelids, voice Less commonly affect the legs and feet May not affect both sides of the body equally Worsen with voluntary movement or emotional stress Disappear during sleep Typically improve with alcohol Signs and tests: Text Continues Below There is no diagnostic laboratory test for essential tremor. The diagnosis is based on the patient's history, a physical examination revealing tremor on voluntary movement, and no other abnormalities. However, some testing may rule out other causes of tremors, such as excessive caffeine or tobacco use, alcohol withdrawal, use of certain medications (some asthma drugs, some antidepressants, lithium, some anti-seizure drugs), hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, Wilson's disease (a rare condition in which copper accumulates in the brain and liver), and other disorders. Routine laboratory tests and brain imaging studies (such as CT scan of the head, brain MRI, and X-rays), or other tests are usually normal and not routinely performed.

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