What Is The Difference Between Essential Tremor And Parkinson’s Disease
When assessing the health of a person with a trembling disorder, medical professionals must look for certain key aspects that differentiate this condition from Parkinson’s disease, as up to 30% of people with the latter initially receive a wrong diagnosis. The main differences between essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease concern the following aspects:
- the timing of tremors: in people with essential tremor, trembling occurs when they use their hands, whereas in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, trembling occurs when their hands are at their sides or resting in their lap
- related conditions: while essential tremor usually do not cause additional health problems, people with Parkinson’s disease experience stooped posture, slow movement and shuffling gait
- the affected parts of the body: the hands, voice and head are typically the parts of the body affected by essential tremor, whereas the trembling associated with Parkinson’s disease starts in the hands and subsequently affects the legs, chin and other parts of the body
Find A Trusted And Qualified Ltc Specialist
Be sure to seek the right type of professional support. Premiums for Long-Term Care Insurance can vary by over 100% between insurance companies, so a skilled and trusted professional can help you navigate the many companies and options.
A qualified Long-Term Care Insurance specialist will help you obtain the best coverage at the best value. Discover your trusted pro by;.
Treatments For Parkinsons Disease
While currently available Parkinsons treatments cannot slow or halt the disease, they can help manage symptoms. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, here are some of the most common treatment options:
There are also lifestyle changes that you can make to help with your Parkinsons symptoms, including:
- Practicing strength training to help with movement
- Stretching to help with rigidity
- Getting massages to relieve muscle stiffness and stress
- Eating a healthier diet to help with lethargy
While these are the most commonly recommended treatment options for Parkinsons disease right now, there is a lot of effort and financial support toward finding new solutions, including clinical trials of medications.
You May Like: Parkinson Disease Ribbon Color
What Is The Difference Between Essential Tremor And Parkinsons Disease
Essential tremor is a neurological disease with autosomal dominant inheritance, which is characterized by the development of bilateral, low amplitude tremor prominently seen in the upper limbs. On the other hand,;Parkinsons disease is a movement disorder characterized by a decline in the dopamine level of the brain.
Furthermore, essential tremors can affect patients of any age, but the peak incidence is in the early decades of life.; However,;Parkinsons usually occurs in the elderly people. Moreover, essential tremors have an autosomal dominant trait while;Parkinsons disease is not known to have a genetic trait. The below infographic presents more details on the difference between essential tremors and Parkinsons disease.
What Is The Difference Between Essential Tremor Vs Parkinsons Disease
Essential tremor vs. Parkinsons disease have several noticeable differences. Essential tremor symptoms are more pronounced during activity, whereas Parkinsons tremors tend to occur more regularly at rest. Essential tremor is typically only associated with tremors, while Parkinsons disease generally includes tremors along with rigidity, problems walking, and issues with balance.
The amplitude and frequency of tremors also differ between essential tremor and Parkinsons disease. Essential tremor symptoms tend to be of a lower amplitude with a higher frequency, and Parkinsons disease tremors are more often higher amplitude with lower frequency.
Besides:
Your doctor may also:
How Is Parkinsons Disease Treated
The treatment protocol varies along with the stage of Parkinsons disease the patient is undergoing-
Medicines: In the initial stages medication may be provided to ease out the symptoms experienced by the patient.
Occupational Therapy: As the stage progresses, occupational therapy may be required. This may help the patient reduce the stiffness of the muscles. The occupational therapy helps with both the fine and gross motor abilities of the patient.
Mechanical Help: Walkers and wheelchairs may become essential, as the patient gradually becomes unable to even walk or stand alone.
Personal Caregiver: It may become very difficult for a patient with Parkinsons disease to live alone as the stage progresses. Thus a caregivers assistance is equally important along with the medication.
Also Read:
Read Also: Parkinson’s Cannabis Oil
What Is Essential Tremor
Essential tremor is a neurological disorder that causes your hands, head, trunk, voice or legs to shake rhythmically. It is often confused with Parkinson’s disease.
Essential tremor is the most common trembling disorder. Everyone has at least a small degree of tremor, but the movements usually cannot be seen or felt because the tremor is so small. When tremors are noticeable, the condition is classified as essential tremor.
Essential tremor is most common among people older than 65, but it can affect people at any age. Some experts have proposed considering ET that starts earlier in life as essential tremor and ET that begins later in life as age-related tremor, because the conditions may have different symptoms and may respond differently to treatments.
How Is Essential Tremor Diagnosed
The appearance of your tremor, in the setting of a comprehensive neurological examination by an experienced clinician, can result in diagnosis of essential tremor. Your doctor will probably need to rule out other conditions that could cause shaking or trembling. For example, tremors could be symptoms of diseases such as hyperthyroidism. Your health care provider might test you for those as well.
In some cases, the tremors might be related to other factors. To find out for certain, your health care provider may have you try to:
- Abstain from heavy alcohol use trembling is a common symptom among people with alcohol use disorder.
- Avoid caffeine.
- Avoid or reduce certain medicines.
You May Like: End Stage Parkinson Disease What To Expect
Essential Tremor Vs Parkinson’s Tremors: A Guide To The Major Differences
When people think of Parkinson’sdisease, they may picture the shaking hands commonly associated with thecondition. Persistent shaking of hands and limbsalso known as tremorcan makeit difficult to write a grocery list, hold a cup of tea, button a shirt andapply makeup, among other routine tasks. When tremors interfere with dailylife, it can be very disruptive. While tremors are a hallmark of Parkinson’spatients, there are other diseases similar to Parkinson’s that can causetremors.
How Tremors Impact Function And What You Can Do About It
When we are toddlers we are constantly problem-solving how to accomplish a task and creating neural pathways that become stronger with each repetition. As adults our brains are wired to accomplish the task without thinking about it. We put our jacket on in the same way everyday. When you experience tremors, suddenly the way youve always done something doesnt work. Its incredibly frustrating! But there are so many ways to accomplish a task; and learning to modify your movements, your environment, or the activity itself can provide great satisfaction and improved quality of life.
Begin to build the habit of asking yourself some questions:
What can I change about the actual task?What can I change about the environment?What can I change in myself to accomplish the task?
People who experience resting tremors might have difficulty with activities that require fine motor skills, such as handwriting, buttoning buttons, zipping zippers, handling money, etc.
Is there a pen that you can use to help write? Try something thicker, heavier, or a different ink. Does it help to support your arm on a surface or closer to your body? Does it help to sit or stand? Can you use voice recognition software? What accessibility options are available on my smartphone or computer?
Can you wear clothes that dont have fasteners? Can you pull the fabric over a button instead of pinching the button? Can you use a key ring on a zipper to help pull it up?
Also Check: Is Parkinson’s An Autoimmune Disease
How Can I Better Cope With Having Parkinson’s Disease
The most important step you can take is to seek help as soon as you feel less able to cope with Parkinson’s disease. Taking action early will enable you to understand and deal with the many effects of your condition. A mental health care provider can design a treatment plan to meet your specific needs. Strategies can be designed to help you regain a sense of control over your life and improve your quality of life.
Other steps you can take include the following.
- Find out as much as you can about the illness.
- Talk to your friends and family about it. Don’t isolate them. They will want to be involved in helping you.
- Do things you enjoy.
- Do not be afraid to ask your doctor, nurse, or other health care provider to repeat any instructions or medical terms that you don’t understand or remember. They should always be available to answer your questions and address your concerns.
- Make use of resources and support services offered by your hospital and in your community.
- Learn to manage stress. This will help you to maintain a positive physical, emotional, and spiritual outlook on life. Being stressed out will only make the situation worse. You should try to organize a daily routine that will reduce stress, with down time for both you and your family members.
- If you are depressed — and this is more than just feeling sad occasionally — antidepressants can be prescribed to help lift your mood.
Parkinsonian Tremor: The Most Common Form Of Resting Tremor
Some patients have a predominant postural tremor in addition to their rest tremor. This form is uncommon and has been considered to be a combination of an ET with PD although the relation between postural tremor that is phenomenologically similar to ET and PD has not been well defined. Further studies are needed to define the relation between ET and other tremors, including PD and other task specific tremors.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Life Expectancy Of Someone With Parkinson’s Disease
What Is The Difference Between Essential Tremor Vs Parkinsons Disease
Essential tremor vs. Parkinsons disease have several noticeable differences. Essential tremor symptoms are more pronounced during activity, whereas Parkinsons tremors tend to occur more regularly at rest. Essential tremor is typically only associated with tremors, while Parkinsons disease generally includes tremors along with rigidity, problems walking, and issues with balance.
The amplitude and frequency of tremors also differ between essential tremor and Parkinsons disease. Essential tremor symptoms tend to be of a lower amplitude with a higher frequency, and Parkinsons disease tremors are more often higher amplitude with lower frequency.
Essential tremor is most often tied to a family history, and Parkinsons disease is rarely tied to family history. Essential tremor is roughly 10 times more common in the U.S. than Parkinsons disease.
Another interesting difference is that alcohol may improve tremors for essential tremor patients but tends to have no effect on tremors of Parkinsons patients.
A by the International Essential Tremor Foundation.
Recommendation For Those With Et
ET, PD and parkinsonism have one thing in common: they dont affect individuals in identical ways. There are accepted diagnostic guidelines, but an infinite number of small or large differences can occur: rate of progression, response to medication, nature of lifestyle problems and impairment, etc. If two persons with ET were to compare notes, they would quickly find that things like propranolol helps one but not the other, or one of them gets terrible restless leg syndrome at night while the other has never had it, etc. Thus, there is a growing theory that ET is not a single disorder, but a group of disorders.
For those with ET who notice that they have additional symptoms that dont fit the classic ET descriptions in books or websites, we recommend discussing the situation with a movement disorder specialist. Perhaps theres no cause for concern, but it may be worth seeking an evaluation to rule out a co-occurring form of parkinsonism. Accurate information may be your best friend, since it both equips you and your doctor to strategize treatment, and also to manage anxiety and gain peace of mind.
iRajput AH, Rajput EF, Bocking SM, Auer RN, Rajput A. Parkinsonism in essential tremor cases: A clinicopathological study. Mov Disord. 2019 Jun 10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31180613iiTarakad A, Jankovic J. Essential tremor and Parkinsons disease: exploring the relationship. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2018;8:589.iiiIbid.
You May Like: What Is The Life Expectancy Of Someone With Parkinson’s Disease
About Dr Dan Sperling
Dan Sperling, MD, DABR, is a board certified radiologist who is globally recognized as a leader in multiparametric MRI for the detection and diagnosis of a range of disease conditions. As Medical Director of the Sperling Prostate Center, Sperling Medical Group and Sperling Neurosurgery Associates, he and his team are on the leading edge of significant change in medical practice. He is the co-author of the new patient book Redefining Prostate Cancer, and is a contributing author on over 25 published studies. For more information, contact the Sperling Neurosurgery Associates.
How Is Tremor Classified
Tremor can be classified into two main categories:
Resting tremor occurs when the muscle is relaxed, such as when the hands are resting on the lap. ;With this disorder, a persons hands, arms, or legs may shake even when they are at rest. ;Often, the tremor only affects the hand or fingers. ;This type of tremor is often seen in people with Parkinsons disease and is called a pillrolling tremor because the circular finger and hand movements resemble rolling of small objects or pills in the hand.;;
Action tremor occurs with the voluntary movement of a muscle. Most types of tremor are considered action tremor. ;There are several sub-classifications of action tremor, many of which overlap.
- Postural tremor occurs when a person maintains a position against gravity, such as holding the arms outstretched.
- Kinetic tremor is associated with any voluntary movement, such as moving the wrists up and down or closing and opening the eyes.
- Intention tremor is produced with purposeful movement toward a target, such as lifting a finger to touch the nose. ;Typically the tremor will become worse as an individual gets closer to their target.
- Task-specific tremor only appears when performing highly-skilled, goal-oriented tasks such as handwriting or speaking.
- Isometric tremor occurs during a voluntary muscle contraction that is not accompanied by any movement such as holding a heavy book or a dumbbell in the same position.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Life Expectancy Of Someone With Parkinson’s Disease
Controversy About The Relationship Between Et And Parkinsonism
There is no doubt that some people with ET go on to eventually develop PD or other parkinsonism syndrome. Since there continue to be unresolved questions about the link between the two disorders including lack of verifiable diagnostic criteria for the two disorders and marked overlap in phenomenology,ii why this occurs and what the specific brain abnormalities might be is not understood. Reports in the literature identify such features as
- Overlapping motor and cognitive symptoms
- Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in 26-43% of those with ET
- Prevalence of those with longstanding ET later being diagnosed with PD
- Greater prevalence of ET in family members of PD patients
- The presence of Lewy bodies in the brains of 15-24% of people with ET.iii
If You Have A Tremor You Have Parkinsons Disease: Fiction
A tremor can be a symptom of Parkinsons disease, however, it does not mean that you have Parkinsons, explains Dr. Azmi. It could be an essential tremor.
Parkinsons disease is essentially a head-to-toe disorder with both motor and non-motor symptoms some are related to movement, cognition, emotions or sleep. Many systems can be involved, presenting in a variety of symptoms, and you may or may not have a tremor, says Dr. Azmi. Symptoms of Parkinsons include tremors, slowed or impaired movement, speech changes, and gait or balance problems.
With essential tremors, you may experience tremors, but not all of the other symptoms that go along with Parkinsons.
You May Like: Is Parkinson’s Disease Always Fatal
What Is The Difference Between Essential Tremor Andparkinsons
The exact cause of essential tremor is unknown while Parkinsonsdisease is better understood.
In Parkinsons disease, neurons located in the part of the brain thatcontrols movement become impaired or die. These neurons usually produce achemical called dopamine which enables regular body movements. When the neuronscant produce necessary levels of dopamine, tremors can occur, along withrigidity of limbs and decreased coordination.
What Does Benign And Essential Mean In Benign Essential Tremor
The term essential is not meant to indicate the tremors value. The shaking is an annoyance and can even be debilitating in some cases. The word essential is intended to indicate that tremor is the only symptom involved that its the essence of the entire problem. Similarly, the word benign signifies that the disorder, while annoying, is not inherently dangerous.
These views, while comforting and widely held, might be wrong.
For one thing, essential tremor is probably not actually just one disease, but rather a symptom caused by any one of a number of different processes.?? Some of these may indeed be benign, but others may be more serious.
File A Paraquat Claim With The Help Of Our Skilful Legal Team
What Is The Difference Between Tremors And Parkinsons Disease
In order to medically diagnose Parkinsons disease, a minimum of two to four symptoms must be present. The four main symptoms include-
Which Body Parts Do Parkinsons Tremors Affect
There are five main places youâll have Parkinsonâs tremors:
1. Hands. Parkinsonâs disease tremors often start in the fingers or hands with whatâs called a pill-rolling motion. Imagine holding a pill between your thumb and index finger and rolling it back and forth.
2. Foot. A Parkinsonâs foot tremor is more likely to happen while youâre sitting or lying down with your feet at rest. If the tremor moves into your thigh muscles. It could look like your whole leg is shaking.
Foot tremors disappear when you stand or walk because those are active movements. A foot or leg tremor while youâre standing may be another condition.
3. Jaw. This is common in people with Parkinsonâs. It may look like youâre shivering. It can become bothersome if the tremor makes your teeth chatter. If you wear dentures, it could make them shift or fall out.
Chewing eases the tremor, so gum might help.
4. Tongue. Itâs rare, but a tongue tremor can cause your entire head to shake.
5. Internal. Some people with Parkinsonâs say they can feel a shaking sensation in their chest or abdomen. But canât be seen from the outside.
Don’t Miss: What Color Is The Ribbon For Parkinson’s