Classification of tremor

Tremor is among the most common clinical syndromes and is classified on pure clinical criteria still nowadays. A major problem in the past has been, that no unified classification has been developed covering all the different etiologies of tremor. This has been achieved in 1998 by the Movement Disorder Society. The present paper is summarizing the definitions of this consensus-statement. Based on clinical criteria, the following tremors have been separated: Enhanced physiologic tremor, classical essential tremor, orthostatic tremor, task-specific tremor, dystonic tremor, Parkinsonian tremor, cerebellar tremor, Holmes' tremor, drug or toxin-induced tremor, neuropathic tremor and psychogenic tremor. The definitions are discussed and the most important differential diagnoses are specified.