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WHAT IS ATAXIA? ATAXIA is due to a number of related neurological disorders, causing slow
progressive deterioration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and cerebellum (part
of the brain controlling balance). Brain and peripheral nerves are frequently
involved. ATAXIA means unsteadiness, clumsiness and lack of muscular co-ordination. ATAXIA first appears with symptoms of stumbling or drunken walk, hand
inco-ordination and slurred speech. Symptoms
progress quite rapidly in some patients over a period of 10- 1 5 years, or
slowly in others over a span of 20 or more years. ATAXIA when hereditary, is due to a defective gene passed from generation
to generation, either as a dominant or recessive trait. ATAXIA when sporadic/idiopathic appears when there is no family history
of the disease and it is difficult to determine the cause. HOW MANY PEOPLE GET ATAXIA? Ataxia is not as rare as originally thought but is not as well recognised
as neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or muscular dystrophy with
similar symptoms. It is estimated
that there are approximately 2,500 people with recessive ataxias; 800 with
dominant ataxia and a some 2,000 sporadic cases. WHAT CAUSES ATAXIA? Although the answer has not yet been found, research is expanding rapidly
and only recently various genetic traits of ataxia have been allocated to
specific chromosomes. WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE? As yet there is no known treatment or cure. It is a progressive disorder and often leads the sufferers to
a wheelchair. However, many of the
associated problems of ataxia can effectively be dealt with by other
professionals besides your GP; for example speech therapist, physiotherapist,
etc and even alternative medicines such as reflexology and aromatherapy. VARIOUS TYPES OF ATAXIAFriedreich's ataxia is the most commonly known which is an inherited
ataxia with onset usually occurring in childhood. Other ataxias with recessive inheritance and early onset include spastic
ataxia, cerebellar ataxia and ataxia telangiectasia, to name but a few. Late onset ataxias include cerebellar atrophy, cerebellar ataxia, spastic
ataxia, cerebellar degeneration and olivopontocerebellar atrophy or degeneration
together with various ataxias with names such as Marie's Holmes, etc. Ataxia being a condition as opposed to an illness in itself often appears
as a symptom in disorders like multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. |
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