Careers in occupations requiring fine manual dexterity or public speaking may be prematurely ended. Thus, although most essential tremor is so mild that people don't know they have it, it may produce social embarrassment, and the quality of life can be reduced. Essential tremor may affect the voice, face, neck, trunk or limbs. The tremor is not known to affect the eyes, and it only rarely affects the legs. Occasionally it may be seen in the lips, chin, tongue, or trunk.
Essential tremor is usually postural and is accentuated by voluntary movement.
It may appear as a resting tremor in very advanced cases. It can occur at any age from childhood, but its prevalence is higher in patients over 40 years old. When ET developed in old age it had been called senile tremor, a term no longer used. Typically, the patient is elderly, and seeks medical attention only after the tremor has been present and gradually worsening for several months. The patient may complain of specific functional disabilities or may report social embarrassment due to the tremor.