-Essential Tremor is associated with an increased risk of developing Dementia.
This is according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

· An Essential Tremor is a specific type of tremor that benign tremor that does not result from another disease such as Parkinson’s disease.
Essential Tremor is common, almost 3 people per 1,000 will develop an essential tremor.

· This study reported that people with an essential tremor have a 60% increased risk of developing Dementia.
The study authors analyzed 2,285 people including 124 people with Essential Tremor and 229 people with Dementia.
25% of the people with an essential tremor also had Dementia, compared to only 9% of the people without tremor.

· Study authors also noted that the patients who had a tremor and no dementia at baseline had a 1.5 times increased risk of developing dementia in the future.

This study shows us the Essential Tremor is probably not just a benign disorder and it may be related to some other destructive disease of the brain that can lead to dementia.

Cristopher Geiler, MD
Reference
Neurology. 2009;73:621-625.