Try: There there’s no clear-cut reason why an individual may be shakier than another but two major health conditions have shakes tremors and unsteadiness as symptoms parkinson parkinson’s disease parkinson parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that leads to shakiness limited walking ability and poor coordination the majority of people who develop parkinson parkinson’s are over the age of 50 this disease affects around two out of every 1 000 people in some cases a family may have a history of parkinson parkinson’s and can develop symptoms at a younger age however when seniors develop parkinson parkinson’s the cause is usually not family history the cause is usually not known the reason parkinson parkinson’s causes shaking is because nerve cells that control movement are slowly destroyed as nerve cells are destroyed a person person’s muscles receive fewer or no movement signals proper movement functions are lost and in an effort to control muscles the body shakes parkinson parkinson’s symptoms are managable if detected early but there is no known cure for the disease essential tremor essential tremor is a movement disorder essential tremor can appear in young people but is far more likely to affect older adults the first sign is usually a tremor or shakiness in the hands essential tremor can start very gradually and progress to other areas of the body most of the time these tremors only occur when someone is trying to complete a voluntary movement like writing or holding a cup very fine motor movements such as the ones used to thread a needle or hammer a nail are the hardest for people with essential tremor during rest periods the tremors can vanish completely a person can have a mild case of essential tremor for their whole life and it may not affect them much some people develop essential tremor later in life and may become severe over time essential tremor is not a disease that always leads to serious complications it is more manageable but for the people experiencing essential tremor the shakiness can be frustrating differences between parkinson parkinson’s and essential tremor essential tremor usually occurs when someone is in the process of moving to do a task parkinson parkinson’s shakes occur most of the time even when the body is at rest parkinson parkinson’s often comes with other health issues a person with essential tremor shakes at times but is otherwise healthy although both conditions can cause emotional and mental stress essential tremor can cause shakiness in the head and voice parkinson parkinson’s rarely does link between essential tremor and dementia some research has found a link between essential tremor and dementia the american academy of neurology found that people with essential tremor are more than two times as likely to develop dementia as people without the condition hopefully this research will lead to better and earlier care for people with dementia other causes of shakes and tremors elder abuse alcohol abuse alcohol and other drug withdrawls including prescription medication withdrawals or incorrect dosing elderly depression bi-polar disorder parkinson parkinson’s disease information references adapted from jennifer chait 2011 "what causes shakiness in elderly " available at
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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical
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Keywords: Shakiness shakes tremors unsteadiness shaky hands dementia
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed