Ataxia is the condition in which a person losses his capacity to coordinate and balance his limbs. Ataxia is biological term, used for a set of symptoms. Ataxia is not a disease in itself. Neurologists treat this condition. But, its diagnosis is difficult because the exact location of the affected part is unknown. Ataxia affects the nervous system, the cerebellum and the spinal cord. Many disorders result in Ataxia and are these disorders cause the degeneration of the cells of cerebellum. Such degeneration is called atrophy. Sometimes these disorders also affect the spinal cord.
The cause of the conditions that result in Ataxia varies. Ataxia is hereditary and also acquired. Hereditary Ataxia can be autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. In the former condition, the affected person gets one faulty and one normal gene from his parents. In the latter condition, the affected person inherits two faulty genes from his parents. External conditions that cause Ataxia are stroke, multiple sclerosis, lesions in Central Nervous System, tumours, alcoholism, metabolic disorders and peripheral meuropathy. Vitamin deficiency especially Vitamin B12 deficiency may be an indication of Ataxia.
The cause of the conditions that result in Ataxia varies. Ataxia is hereditary and also acquired. Hereditary Ataxia can be autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. In the former condition, the affected person gets one faulty and one normal gene from his parents. In the latter condition, the affected person inherits two faulty genes from his parents. External conditions that cause Ataxia are stroke, multiple sclerosis, lesions in Central Nervous System, tumours, alcoholism, metabolic disorders and peripheral meuropathy. Vitamin deficiency especially Vitamin B12 deficiency may be an indication of Ataxia.
