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Familial tremor - Overview

Alternative Names

Tremor - familial

Definition of Familial tremor:

Familial tremor is an involuntary shaking movement that tends to run in families. Involuntary means you shake without trying to do so.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Tremors occur when there is a problem with the nerves supplying certain muscles. They may affect the whole body or just certain areas, such as your hand.

Familial tremor is a lot like essential tremor, except that the shaking affects more than one person in a family. The exact cause of familial tremor is unknown, but the fact that it is passed down through families (inherited) suggests that genes play a role. Familiar tremor is usually a dominant trait, which means that you only need to get the gene from one parent to develop the disorder.

The tremors usually start in early middle age, but may be seen in people who are older or younger.

Central nervous system

Reviewed last on: 5/28/2008
Linda Vorvick, MD, Seattle Site Coordinator, Lecturer, Pathophysiology, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Jankovic J. Movement Disorders. In: Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2007: chap. 34.

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