Acute Cerebellar Ataxia Overview
Learn About Acute Cerebellar Ataxia
Acute cerebellar ataxia is sudden inability to coordinate muscle movement due to disease or injury to the cerebellum. This is the area in the brain that controls muscle movement. Ataxia means loss of muscle coordination, especially of the hands and legs.
Cerebellar ataxia; Ataxia - acute cerebellar; Cerebellitis; Post-varicella acute cerebellar ataxia; PVACA
Acute cerebellar ataxia in children, particularly younger than age 3, may occur several days or weeks after an illness caused by a virus.
Viral infections that may cause this include chickenpox, Coxsackie disease, Epstein-Barr, echovirus, among others.
Other causes of acute cerebellar ataxia include:
- Abscess of the cerebellum
- Alcohol, medicines, insecticides, and illicit drugs
- Bleeding into the cerebellum
- Multiple sclerosis
- Strokes of the cerebellum
- Vaccination
- Trauma to head and neck
- Certain diseases associated with some cancers (paraneoplastic disorders)
Ataxia may affect movement of the middle part of the body from the neck to the hip area (the trunk) or the arms and legs (limbs).
When the person is sitting, the body may move side-to-side, back-to-front, or both. Then the body quickly moves back to a sitting upright position.
When a person with ataxia of the arms reaches for an object, the hand may sway back and forth.
Common symptoms of ataxia include:
- Clumsy speech pattern (dysarthria)
- Repetitive eye movements (nystagmus)
- Uncoordinated eye movements
- Walking problems (unsteady gait) that can lead to falls
- Difficulty controlling arm movements
Treatment depends on the cause:
- If the acute cerebellar ataxia is due to bleeding, surgery may be needed.
- For an ischemic stroke, medicine to thin the blood can be given. Removing a blood clot from within the blood vessels may also be needed.
- Infections may need to be treated with antibiotics or antivirals.
- Corticosteroids may be needed for swelling (inflammation) of the cerebellum (such as from multiple sclerosis).
- Cerebellar ataxia caused by a recent viral infection may not need treatment.
- Physical therapy may be needed to reduce risk of falling.
Houston County Healthcare Authority
William Reynolds is an Internal Medicine provider in Enterprise, Alabama. Dr. Reynolds and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Acute Cerebellar Ataxia. His top areas of expertise are Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, Hypertension, Familial Hypertension, and Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young. Dr. Reynolds is currently accepting new patients.
Wiregrass Clinic LLC
Hassan Kesserwani is a Neurologist in Dothan, Alabama. Dr. Kesserwani and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Acute Cerebellar Ataxia. His top areas of expertise are Headache, Radial Nerve Dysfunction, Migraine, Brachial Plexopathy, and Nerve Decompression. Dr. Kesserwani is currently accepting new patients.
Southeast Alabama Rural Health Associates
Richard Bendinger is a Family Medicine provider in Troy, Alabama. Dr. Bendinger has been practicing medicine for over 43 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Acute Cerebellar Ataxia. His top areas of expertise are Hypertension, Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, Familial Hypertension, and Sinusitis. Dr. Bendinger is currently accepting new patients.
People whose condition was caused by a recent viral infection should make a full recovery without treatment in a few months. Strokes, bleeding, or infections may cause permanent symptoms.
Falls may result in injury.
In rare cases, movement or behavioral disorders may persist.
Contact your provider if any symptoms of ataxia appear.
Summary: To produce hand's movement directed towards a target, the investigator must combine several sensory information, such as vision or proprioception. The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is a region of the cortex involved in this multisensory integration. A lesion of the PPC cause a visuo-motor trouble called optic ataxia but these patients also have perceptual troubles. The aim of the study is to und...
Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a disease in which people have problems with coordination, balance, speech and vision. It is caused by a change in the ATXN7 gene. A mutation in this ATXN7 gene causes changes in eye cells, which can lead to vision loss. There is no cure for SCA7 but researchers are looking for possible treatments. Researchers need more information about SCA7. They want to c...
Published Date: January 23, 2023
Published By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Kuo SH, Lin CC, Ashizawa T. Cerebellar ataxia. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 23.
Mink JW. Movement disorders. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 615.