Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
Cerebellar ataxia; Ataxia - acute cerebellar; Cerebellitis
Symptoms
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, and quickly move back to an upright position.
When a person with ataxia of the arms reaches for an object, their hand may sway back and forth.
Common symptoms of ataxia are listed below.
- Sudden, uncoordinated movement
- Walking problems (unsteady gait)
- Sudden (nystagmus) or uncoordinated eye movements
- Clumsy speech pattern (dysarthria)
Signs and tests
The doctor will ask you if you have been recently sick, and try to rule out any other causes for the problem. . A full neurological examination will be done to identify the areas of the nervous system most affected.
The following tests may be done:
- Spinal tap
CT or MRI scan of the head
Previous Section
Review Date: 03/26/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of
Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology,
Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD,
MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
