Tremor natural history, complications and prognosis

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

Essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease worsens with time, treatment helps to minimize symptoms. Physiologic tremors and drug-induced tremor do not worsen with time and can be controlled. Tremors may be mild or can be very disabling for some patients. Patients with tremors have shown to have decrease quality of life physically and mentally as compared to healthy population.

• Tremor is not a life-threatening condition. However, if not symptomatically treated it can cause severe physical, mental and social disabilities depending on the intensity of tremors.
• Essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease generally worsen with time. Physiologic tremor and drug induced tremor do not worsen with time and can be controlled.^[1]

• Reduces quality of life
• Can cause social disability.
• May limit their physical activity
• Patients with essential tremor have shown to have decrease quality of life physically and mentally as compared to healthy population. ^[2]
• Depression^[3]

• Tremors may be mild or can be very disabling for some patients.
• Essential tremor is a gradually progressing disease.The symptoms usually worsen with age.^[4]
• It has been observed that patients suffering from essential tremors are more likely to develop other forms of neurodegenerative disorders including, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease as compared to average population especially if age of onset is after 65 years.^[5]
• Physiologic and drug-induced tremor with time do not worsen, They can be completely controlled by eliminating the causative drug for drug-induced tremor or controlling the enhancing factors for physiologic tremors.^[1]