Question: What can cause shaky hands? I’m an otherwise health woman of 71 and this is an intermittent problem for me.
Dr. Cwynar's answer:
In an elderly woman the likely cause of shaky hands is a condition called idiopathic tremor. It's a common condition of aging. The best way of controlling this is with a beta blocker such as propranolol. A full work up, however, should be done, including a thyroid panel, as this can also be an indication, although rare, of hyperthyroidism, which is an overactive thyroid. Idiopathic tremor is typically not harmful, but it is a nuisance.
It is rarely associated with neurological disease, so a tremor should be diagnosed appropriately by a physician. Having said that, I have never come across a patient that had tremor that was affiliated with anything more than a simple aging process.