The main symptoms of ataxia and the causes of its development

Ataxia, according to the medical encyclopaedia, is a manifestation of the coordination disorder of movements, and this disorder is not associated with muscle weakness( in some cases there is a very slight decrease in muscle strength).In patients, symptoms of ataxia are observed, this is an awkwardness and inaccuracy in the movements, there is an imbalance during movement, in some cases, ataxia is noticeable in breathing and even the speech of patients. Experts argue that the disease is not a separate disease. As a rule, ataxia is secondary and manifests itself against other diseases or disorders in the work of the nervous system. It can be various kinds of trauma, intoxication, circulatory disorders in the brain.

Classification of ataxia in medical practice

To date, there are several working classifications. The most simple classification for static and dynamic is based on external manifestations of the disease, a lack of coordination during walking is dynamic, an imbalance, while a person is standing - a static ataxia. In addition to this classification, there is also another, based on the classification of affected organs:

• Sensitive
• Cortical
• Cerebellum
• Vestibular

Sensitive ataxia( sometimes called posterior column disease) is characterized by a disturbance of sensitivity in the deep layers of muscles, and cerebellar ataxia is explained by disorders in the cells of the actual department itselfbrain - cerebellum. Cortical lesions occur in the cerebral cortex, and this occurs either in the temporal or frontal region. When the vestibular, respectively, affected area of ​​the so-called vestibular apparatus.

What causes the disease?

Obviously, there is a disease with damage to groups of cells in various departments of the central nervous system. And this defeat, very diverse in manifestations. Therefore, the causes of ataxia are anatomically quite different. With sensitive ataxia, two sites are affected:

• of the posterior posts of the
• of the hind nerves and peripheral nodes.

As a rule, manifestations are observed in the features of the functioning of the limbs. A person has a feeling of walking on cotton wool or a thick carpet. Outwardly this manifests itself in a "stamping" gait, when the patient puts the foot on the plane with excessive force. Another characteristic sign of the disease can be considered to be constantly lowered to the ground view of the patient, because it is due to the focus of the visual apparatus, patients make attempts to compensate for the feeling of discomfort when walking. In very severe cases of a sensitive form, patients almost completely lose the ability to walk and even just stand still.

In cerebellar ataxia, several parts of the cerebellum itself may be affected:

• of the cerebellum
• of the hemispheres
• of the cerebellum's legs

When the hemispheres are damaged, when a person goes it simply "falls" to the side, which hemisphere is struck. When the worm is injured, the patient may fall in any direction. Often when cerebellar ataxia speech is disrupted, it becomes slow, stiff, and sometimes turns into chanting. Also, the signs of this type of disease are clearly visible in the letter, the handwriting of the patient becomes macro-graphic.

With vestibular ataxia, damage occurs to various parts of the vestibular apparatus. These can be:

• nuclei in the brainstem of the
• center in the temporal cortex.
• labyrinth

The most pronounced sign of this type of ataxia is a constant feeling of dizziness, which becomes almost not tolerable when turning the head from side to side. Externally, the symptoms are manifested in the fact that the patient is constantly unsteady. Patients with vestibular ataxia often tear, they suffer from constant attacks of nausea. Cortical ataxia affects the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. Patients with this form of ataxia experience problems with the lower limbs, especially when walking and, in particular, when making turns. In fact, the cortical ataxia is very similar in symptomatology to the cerebellar, the only sign that makes it possible to differentiate this hypotension in the limb, which is subject to ataxia.

What is hereditary ataxia

Ataxia is a special ataxia group.

To date, it is common to identify several hereditary ataxia forms

• Ataxia Pierre Marie
• Friedreich family ataxia
• Louis-Bar syndrome
• ataxia of telangiectasia

Cerebellar ataxia Pierre Marie is an autosomal disease transmitted by inheritance. Studies show that the gene that causes ataxia Pierre Marie has an extremely high rate of penetrance, that is, in generations it appears very often and there are very few omissions in the generations. The anatomical sign of this type of disease is hypoplasia of the cerebellum or atrophy of olives( they are often called the variolium bridge).

The manifestation of the disease becomes apparent by the age of 35, when the patient has a very different manner of walking. The patient has pronounced tendon reflexes, often uncontrolled muscular jerks, and strength in arms and legs slightly decreases. Another manifestation of this form of the disease is the fall in vision and the narrowing of the field of view. In addition, patients experience frequent depression, as well as a decrease in intellectual abilities.

Another type of hereditary ataxia is Friedreich's family ataxia. This disease also belongs to the autosomal type and is also dominant. At this type of affliction, the spinal systems are damaged. The main anatomical sign of this disease is the defeat of Gaull's beams, cell damage in the Clark pillars, as well as degenerative changes in the lateral and posterior columns in the spinal cord.

It is noted that very often in patients with this form of ataxia several generations of closely related blood marriages have occurred before. At Friedreich's ataxia, changes in the work of the heart( its rhythm), as well as changes in the skeleton, are observed among the clinical symptoms. Patients suffer from tachycardia and shortness of breath, and in the locomotor apparatus there is kyphoscoliidosis, moreover, in these patients very often there are various dislocations in the joints.

Associated with Friedreich's ataxia is also the disease of a large number of patients with diabetes mellitus. Among the behavioral manifestations, the most pronounced in patients is infantilism. At ataxia of telangiectasia( among doctors more commonly known as the Louis-Bar syndrome), transmission occurs by a recessive type. The disease manifests itself at the earliest age, the older the person becomes, the more pronounced the symptoms of ataxia, after reaching the age of 10, the affected person can practically not walk alone.

Often, patients with the Louis-Bar syndrome are mentally retarded, besides they have cranial nerves. In addition to ataxia, these people have a tendency to bronchitis, rhinitis, sinusitis and pneumonia, because anatomical syndrome is accompanied by changes in the thymus gland, and consequently, the number of lymphocytes responsible for immunity is reduced.

In patients with the Louis-Bar syndrome, the risk of developing neoplasms, including malignant ones, is increased.

Methods of treatment of the disease

Many people have a question, how to treat this disease? First of all, you need to eliminate the cause that led to the disease. If you suspect a disease, you should contact a specialist doctor, such is a neurologist.

As a rule, ataxia treatment includes two components, it is general restorative therapy, which consists in the use of a group of compulsory drugs( ATP, cerebrolysin, vitamin B and anticholinesterase drugs), as well as special physiotherapy exercises that must be strictly controlled by a doctor. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the forecasts for this type of disease are classified as unfavorable. The course of the disease will slowly progress( especially in hereditary ataxia).It should also be remembered that the work capacity of patients with ataxia is reduced.

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