Essential Tremor vs Parkinson’s: What’s the Difference?

Tremor is one of the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but it is also characteristic of essential tremor (ET), a neurological disorder that produces involuntary and rhythmic shaking. ET is approximately 8 times more common than PD, and there are several other differences between the 2 conditions.

Parkinson’s is most commonly diagnosed in people over the age of 60, although approximately 5-10 percent of people with PD are diagnosed younger than the age of 50. ET most often occurs during middle age, but it can occur at any age, even in childhood.