ET is generally progressive in most cases (sometimes rapidly, sometimes very slowly), and can be disabling in severe cases. Epidemiology
ET is one of the most common neurological diseases, with a prevalence around 4% in persons age 40 and older and considerably higher among persons in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, with an estimated 20% of individuals in their 90s and over. Aside from enhanced physiological tremor, it is the most common type of tremor and one of the most commonly observed movement disorders. Society and culture
Actress Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) had an essential tremor, possibly inherited from her grandfather, that caused her head—and sometimes her hands—to shake. The tremor was noticeable by the time of her performance in the 1979 film The Corn Is Green, when critics mentioned the "palsy that kept her head trembling". Hepburns tremor worsened in her later life.Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist and creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was affected during the last two decades of his life. West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd also had essential tremor. In 2010, musician Daryl Dragon of The Captain and Tennille was diagnosed with essential tremor, with the condition becoming so severe that Dragon was no longer able to play the keyboards.Director-writer-producer-comedian Adam McKay was diagnosed with essential tremor.Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has the condition, as does the shows character Charlie Carson.In 2022, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf and his son made a PSA called "Living with a Mild Essential Tremor". Research
Harmaline is a widely used model of essential tremor (ET) in rodents.
Pharmacokinetic research on 1-octanol lead to the discovery that 1-octanol metabolized into caprylic acid in the body and that caprylic acid actually was the tremor-reducing agent. Many studies of the effects of caprylic acid on essential tremor have been done, including a dose-escalation study on ET patients and a study testing the effects of caprylic acid on central and peripheral tremor. The dose-escalation study examined doses of 8 mg/kg to 128 mg/kg and determined that these concentrations were safe with mild side effects. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached in this study. The study testing the effects of caprylic acid on central and peripheral tremors determined that caprylic acid reduced both. Terminology
This type of tremor is often referred to as "kinetic tremor". Essential tremor has been known as "benign essential tremor", but the adjective "benign" has been removed in recognition of the sometimes disabling nature of the disorder. See also
Intention tremor

References
External links

Essential tremor at Curlie