How Common Are Tremors in Childhood?
Discussion
Tremor is one of several movement disorders in childhood including tics, dystonia, chorea, myoclonus, and sterotypy. Tremors are a rhythmic oscillating involuntary movement across a joint axis. They are the result of normal or accentuated postural or muscular processes. They are categorized as follows:
Rest tremor – occurs during rest and stops with movement
Action tremor- occurs during a voluntary activity
Kinetic tremor- occurs when limb is moving
Postural tremor – occurs when the limb is stationary but held against gravity
Isometric tremor – occurs when limb is stationary but is exerting a force against a stationary object
Causes of tremors including those that are benign (jitteriness, shuddering attacks, spasmus nutans), hereditary (fragile X premutation, essential), neurological (brain lesions, strokes, mitochondrial encephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy), endocrinopathies (hyperthyroid, hyperadrenergic states), metabolic (low calcium, glucose, or magnesium, B12 deficiency and inborn errors of metabolism), drugs (many including anti-epileptic, asthma, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine) and psychogenic.
Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder in adults. Up to 50% of adults report onset of their tremor in childhood and it appears to be the most common movement disorder in children. ET is a hereditary action tremor that is autosomal dominant with variable penetrance. Penetrance appears to increase with increasing age. Young chi...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
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