Abstract
Cerebellar ataxia can have many causes. This chapter focuses on how the clinical data actually provide valuable clues that point to a more limited set of diseases to consider in an ataxia patient. Details such as speed of onset, rate of progression, age at onset, family history, and certain non-cerebellar features are essential to be obtained from a comprehensive history and physical examination. Brain MRI is generally recommended to rule out structural lesions and to look for imaging hallmarks of certain diseases. Having ruled out structural lesions, the two other important etiological categories are inflammatory and heredodegenerative disorders. Many ataxia disorders are indeed genetic, but individually some of these are extremely rare. Referral to a specialized center is recommended in such cases. Sometimes, treatment of the underlying cause is possible, but often care is purely supportive.
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Fonteyn, E.M.R., van de Warrenburg, B.P.C. (2017). Ataxias: A Clinical Synopsis. In: Falup-Pecurariu, C., Ferreira, J., Martinez-Martin, P., Chaudhuri, K. (eds) Movement Disorders Curricula. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1628-9_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1628-9_31
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