Does Alzheimer's cause shaking of hands?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have noticed some changes in my father lately, that have got me a bit worried. He is 80 years old, a lawyer, and these days, he is repeating himself a lot, and his hands shake when he signs documents. Even simple things like turning pages seem to be a struggle, and he is walking slower than usual. Now, I am not sure if this is just a part of getting older, or if we should be concerned about something more serious like Alzheimer's disease. Seeing him struggle like this is tough, and I want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help him. He has his practice up and running.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I am so sorry to hear about your father's condition, and completely understand your concern.

Based on the information that you provided, it appears that your father may suffer from a kind of movement disorder. The most common form of movement disorder in his age is Parkinson's disease, which can cause hand tremors and slowness in all kinds of activities. However, it is a diagnosis that completely depends on clinical examination. Therefore, it is just a tentative suggestion. You need to set an appointment with a neurologist to evaluate your father.

Moreover, a complete blood test and a neuroimaging study (usually a brain MRI- magnetic resonance imaging) are needed to rule out other possible diagnoses. Please feel free to inform me about your father's further evaluation results.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Regards.

Thank you.