Hello, Joan:
I found the following information by using the general "search engine"
http://www.altavista.digital.com
I hope it helps.
Best wishes,
Margaret Tuchman
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http://www.familyinternet.com/peds/scr/001397sc.htm#
Alternative names:
cerebellar ataxia; ataxia - acute cerebellar
Definition:
The sudden onset of the movement disorder, ataxia, often following an
infectious viral disease.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Acute cerebellar ataxia occurs most often in children, especially those
younger than 3 years old. It
often follows a viral infection by several weeks. Common predisposing
infections included chickenpox and Coxsackie viral illnesses.
Ataxia is characterized by a broad-based unsteady gait. When the child is
sitting, the trunk may
deviate side-to-side and back-to-front or any combination and return to
the vertical in a jerky type motion. Jerky eye movements (nystagmus) and
jerky explosive speech
(dysarthria) may develop at the same time.
The condition usually subsides without treatment over a period of weeks to
months. Occasionally,
a child will be left with a persistent movement disorder or behavioral
disorder.
Prevention:
There is no known prevention.
Symptoms:
sudden onset jerky body (trunk) movement
wide-based unsteady gait
inability to walk without support
jerky eye movements (nystagmus)
jerky speech pattern (dysarthria)
unusual movement of the arms or legs
Other suggestive findings
appears in child less than three years of age
may follow a viral infection
Signs and tests:
The diagnosis of acute cerebellar ataxia is made by excluding other causes
of ataxia and by
taking a history of a recent illness.
Tests may include:
cerebrospinal fluid studies (CSF total protein)
CT scan of the head
Treatment:
No treatment is generally attempted for acute cerebellar ataxia.
Expectations (prognosis):
Full recovery usually occurs without treatment within a few months.
Complications:
Movement or behavioral disorders may (rarely) persist.
Calling your health care provider:
Call your health care provider if any symptoms of ataxia appear.
This information should NOT be used as a substitute for seeking professional
medical diagnosis,
treatment and care (see disclaimer).
This medical encyclopedia and its contents are copyright by Applied Medical
Informatics, Inc.,
1996. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein
without written permission
is strictly prohibited.
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* National Ataxia Foundation *
National Ataxia Foundation
15500 Wayzata Blvd., #750
Waysata, MN 55391
Phone: (612) 473-7666
Fax: (612) 473-9289
Email: [log in to unmask]
The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) was founded in 1957 in an organized
effort to combat all
hereditary ataxias. Hereditary ataxia is not a single disease, but a group
of disorders which have
in
common that they cause ataxia (lack of coordination) and that they run in
families. Terms used to
describe the hereditary ataxias include but are not limited to:
Olivopontocerebellar atrophy
(OPCA),
spinocerebellar degeneration (SCA), Marie's ataxia, "pure" cerebellar ataxia
and more. Ataxia can
be either dominantly inherited as those listed above or recessively
inherited like Friedreich's
ataxia.
NAF has three primary objectives and areas of service: Education, Service
and Research.
Services
include patient education materials, Pen-Pal program, chapters and support
groups, informational
meetings and quarterly newsletter, "Generations". Most single copies of
publications are free as is
a
list of "What's Available" through NAF. Call or write for more information.
See the NAF homepage at:
http://128.252.215.18
or
http://www.ataxia.org
Also please stop by the Usenet newsgroup:
alt.support.ataxia
Feel free to contact me as I can put you in touch with many others
on email who have interest in ataxia.
Regards,
Pam
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