Aim: To analyze the clinical characteristics of elderly people clearly diagnosed to have essential tremor based on baseline population of aging and multi-dimensional study in Beijing city. Methods: Between July and September 2000, totally 2 835 residents aged 55 years old and above in Beijing city were investigated based on community. Totally 135 cases of them were found to have essential tremor through the screening and diagnosis of essential tremor, including 83 males and 52 females, aged 55-101 years with an average of (75.8±7.9) years. There were 7 males and 2 females aged 55-64 years, 31 males and 14 females aged 65-74 years, 45 males and 36 females aged 75 years and above. Their disease histories were collected, they all participated in the physical examination and tremor evaluation and functional assessment, and then the clinical features of essential tremor were analyzed. Results: All the 135 patients with essential tremor entered the analysis of results. 1 Upper limbs (100%) and head (20%) were the most frequently affected. 2 The total score of tremor was insignificantly higher in females than in males (7.2±3.4, 6.5±2.5, P=0.150), and the total score of limb's tremor was also not obviously different between males and females (6.3 ±2.4, 6.0 ±2.2, P=0.421). The probability of head tremor was insignificantly higher in females than in males (25%, 16.9%, P > 0.05). 3 The total score of limb's tremor in the head tremor group was insignificantly different from that in the without head tremor group (6.6±4.1, 6.0±1.6, P=0.506). The positive family history was only 3%. 69.6% of patients were reported to have been aware of the history of tremor. The high peak of onset was older than 50 years old (90.4%). 5 The probability of head involvement in the history group was obviously higher than that in the without history group (25.5%, 7.3%, P=0.015), but there were no obvious differences in the total scores of tremor and limb's tremor (6.8±2.7, 6.5±3.1; 6.1±2.1, 6.2±2.7, P > 0.05). Conclusion: 1 Upper limbs and head are the most frequently affected in patients with essential tremor, and the severity of tremor and characteristics have no gender differences. 2 Accompanied by head tremor or not has no influence on the severity of tremor. 3 The onset age of most patients with essential tremor is older than 50 years. 4 Head tremor is a main factor that affects the awareness of tremor history.