Question: How many people are affected by essential tremor ?
Answer: Essential tremor is a common disorder, affecting up to 10 million people in the United States. Estimates of its prevalence vary widely because several other disorders, as well as other factors such as certain medications, can result in similar tremors. In addition, mild cases are often not brought to medical attention, or may not be detected in clinical exams that do not include the particular circumstances in which an individual's tremor occurs. Severe cases are often misdiagnosed as Parkinson disease.
Source: GHR

Question: Is essential tremor inherited ?
Answer: Essential tremor can be passed through generations in families, but the inheritance pattern varies. In most affected families, essential tremor appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of an altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder, although no genes that cause essential tremor have been identified. In other families, the inheritance pattern is unclear. Essential tremor may also appear in people with no history of the disorder in their family. In some families, some individuals have essential tremor while others have other movement disorders, such as involuntary muscle tensing (dystonia). The potential genetic connection between essential tremor and other movement disorders is an active area of research.
Source: GHR

Question: What are the treatments for essential tremor ?
Answer: These resources address the diagnosis or management of essential tremor: - Genetic Testing Registry: Hereditary essential tremor 1 - Johns Hopkins Movement Disorders Center - MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: Essential Tremor These resources from MedlinePlus offer information about the diagnosis and management of various health conditions: - Diagnostic Tests - Drug Therapy - Surgery and Rehabilitation - Genetic Counseling - Palliative Care
Source: GHR