U.S. Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday said the sometimes evident trembling of her voice, head and hands are symptoms of a benign essential tremor that she has lived with for decades.
The 73-year-old, five-term Republican senator revealed the condition in an interview with Newscenter Maine and said she has had it for decades with no ill effect on her ability to do her job.
Essential tremor disorder is a neurological condition that causes rhythmic shaking in the hands, head, trunk, voice or legs. It is the most common trembling disorder, can be hereditary and generally afflicts older adults, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
In a statement provided to the BDN, Collins said she has had an essential tremor for the entire time she has served in the U.S. Senate. She noted that the condition affects roughly 1 in 20 people over the age of 40.
“The tremor is occasionally inconvenient, and sometimes the subject of cruel comments online, but it does not hinder my ability to work and, as I said, is something that I have lived with for decades,” Collins said.
