[Tremor of unknown origin. What can the family physician do?]

Tremor is a very frequent neurological symptom with a wide range of causes. For drug- or toxin-induced tremor, the primary disease must be treated and, accordingly, the medication discontinued or the dosage changed. The most common neurological tremors, Parkinson's tremor and essential tremor, can be usually easily differentiated from one another on the basis of their symptoms. If the patient is significantly disabled, the tremors should be treated with drugs in collaboration with a neurologist. For drug therapy resistant, severely disabled patients, a stereotactic surgical treatment could be performed in which the thalamus is stimulated through an implanted brain electrode.