What is Ataxia?
Ataxia means unsteadinesss, and describes a degenerating condition affecting the nervous system. Unsteadiness leads on to increasing problems with mobility and co-ordination until sufferers become wheelchair bound, dependant on others for much of their everyday care. The intellect remains intact, although speech problems hinder communications. Around five thousand peeople in the U.K are affected by some form of ataxia for which there is no treatment.
Friedreichs ataxia
The most common form is Friedreichs’s ataxia which usually affects children and young people, onset ranging from the age of about three to the teens and, rarely, the early twenties. Extra problems can include an enlarged heart, diabetes, curvature of the spine and sight and hearing difficulties. Some severely affected young people may die in their twenties, whilst others can live a near normal life span. Friedreich’s ataxia is inherited through a recessive gene which means that although the parents are healthy they unknowingly both carry the same faulty gene, and all the children in the family have a one in four risk of also being affected.
Cerebellar ataxia
Cerebellar ataxia is an umbrella term for several different disorders usually affecting adults. Some people are affected out of the blue, some have ataxia as a secondary symptom of another condition, and some have a dominantly inherited sort which means that any child of an affected parent has a one in two risk of carrying the gene and becoming a sufferer. Individuals vary in the severity of their symptoms, but all deteriorate and experience considerable disability.