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Essential Tremor | UMMC medical staff check the effectiveness of an MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment

Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, affecting an estimated 10 million Americans.

While essential tremor can be debilitating, making it difficult to hold a cup of coffee or use a smartphone, it is treatable.

The University of Maryland Medical Center is using the latest medications and technology to treat the disease.

For more information about focused ultrasound and clinical trials, please contact Charlene Aldrich, RN, MSN, clinical research manager, at 410-328-5332.

Essential Tremor Symptoms

Essential tremor can be misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease. While similar, there are some differences:

  • Essential tremor's shakiness is mostly seen during action, while Parkinson's disease's shakes appear at a resting state.
  • Essential tremor has a faster, more-confined motion while Parkinson's is slower and longer

While making a diagnosis, it is important to have an experienced doctor who can identify the small differences between the two diseases.

Treating Essential Tremor

At the University of Maryland Medical Center, we offer essential tremor patients a variety of treatment options:

  • Medications: Propranolol can help reduce the tremor. Patients can develop a tolerance to the drug, diminishing the affect over time.
  • Deep Brain Stimulation: The standard of care for treatment the past 15+ years.
  • MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound: A new, non-invasive technology for treating essential tremor.

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