Tremor epidemiology and demographics

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Zehra Malik, M.B.B.S [2]

Overview

The incidence and prevalence of tremor as a symptom is not determined. The incidence of essential tremor increases with age and has bimodal incidence according to age. Prevalence of essential tremor is approximately 0.4% to 5.6%. The incidence of Parkinson’s disease is in the range of 8 to 18 per 100,000 people yearly. Seven million people worldwide, and one million people in the United States, are suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is higher in Caucasians as compared to black or oriental populations. Parkinson’s disease is more common in rural populations.

The incidence of essential tremor increases with age.
Incidence of essential tremor is 23.7 per 100,000 annually. ^[1]
The incidence of Parkinson’s disease is in the range of 8 to 18 per 100,000 people yearly. ^[2]

The prevalence of essential tremor is approximately 0.4% to 5.6%. ^[3]
Seven million people worldwide, and one million people in the United States, are suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Exact prevalence of psychogenic tremor had not been determined, but it is thought to be high. ^[4]

Essential tremor has bimodal incidence according to age.
Incidence of Parkinson’s disease increases with age. One percent of the population over the age of 60, and four percent of the population over the age of 80, are affected.
Mean age-of-onset of Parkinson’s disease is 60 years. ^[5]
Orthostatic tremor usually targets the population over 60 years of age.

Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is higher in Caucasians as compared to black or oriental populations. ^[6]

Males are more commonly affected by Parkinson’s disease than females. The male to female ratio is approximately 3:2. ^[7]
Females are more commonly affected by orthostatic tremor than males.

Parkinson’s disease affects more Caucasians as compared to black or East and Southeast Asian populations. ^[6]
Parkinson’s disease is more common in rural populations.

↑ Rajput AH, Offord KP, Beard CM, Kurland LT (1984). “Essential tremor in Rochester, Minnesota: a 45-year study”. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 47 (5): 466–70. doi:10.1136/jnnp.47.5.466. PMC 1027820. PMID 6736976.
↑ de Lau LM, Breteler MM (2006). “Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease”. Lancet Neurol. 5 (6): 525–35. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(06)70471-9. PMID 16713924.
↑ Findley LJ, Koller WC (1987). “Essential tremor: a review”. Neurology. 37 (7): 1194–7. doi:10.1212/wnl.37.7.1194. PMID 2885784.
↑ Chou KL (2004). “Diagnosis and management of the patient with tremor”. Med Health R I. 87 (5): 135–8. PMID 15250610.
↑ Samii A, Nutt JG, Ransom BR (2004). “Parkinson’s disease”. Lancet. 363 (9423): 1783–93. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16305-8. PMID 15172778.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Schoenberg BS (1987). “Descriptive epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease: disease distribution and hypothesis formulation”. Adv Neurol. 45: 277–83. PMID 3493626.
↑ Kalia LV, Lang AE (2015). “Parkinson’s disease”. Lancet. 386 (9996): 896–912. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61393-3. PMID 25904081.