Diagnosis for Essential Tremor
Examining your medical history, family history, symptoms, and doing a physical examination are required to diagnose essential tremor.
Medical tests are not available to identify essential tremor. When diagnosing it, it’s frequently necessary to rule out other conditions that could be the source of your symptoms. Your doctor might advise performing the tests below to achieve this:
In-lab examinations
Samples of you blood and urine will be collected to test for several things, including the following:
- thyroid condition
- metabolic issues
- effects of drugs
- Chemical concentrations that could cause tremor
Neurological testing
Your doctor will conduct a neurological examination to ascertain how well your nervous system is functioning. The test will examine your:
- Tendon reflexes
- muscle tone and strength
- the capacity for specific feelings
- alignment and posture
- Gait
Performance Testing
For clear evaluation of the tremor, your doctor will request that you;
- Drink from a glass
- Write on a piece of paper
- Draw a spiral
- stretch your hands forward
Your doctor may request a dopamine transporter scan if they are still unsure whether your tremor is caused by Parkinson’s disease [4] or essential tremor. Your doctor can use this scan to distinguish between the two tremor types.