Re: Cerebellar Degeneration

Posted By CCF Neuro MD on April 21, 1997 at 16:48:17:

In Reply to: Cerebellar Degeneration posted by Arthur Hebrado on April 12, 1997 at 21:20:16:







: My father was diagnosed to have cerebellar degeneration. Please send me more information about this disease, like symptoms, causes, treat
ment, therapies. I would like to understand more about the nature of this disease. Thanks for your help.
Arthur



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Hello Arthur:
The disorder of Cerebellar degeneration is amoung the diseases that produce ataxia.  "Ataxia" is a term used for a distrubance of the accuracy and speed of volentary movement.  This usually involves a disorder of the cerebellum although disorders of nerves as wells as other parts of the centeral nervous system can produce similar symptoms.  The various symptoms that can be experienced by a patient affected with thi disorder include unsteadiness while walking, slow and slurred speech, eye movement abnormalities, and frequent falls.  The classification of the ataxia are divided into the hereditary and acquired forms.  The hereditary group of disorders are a mixed bag varying in their inheritance pattern and presentation.  The acquired form includes such things as the remote efeects of some cancers on the cerebellum, slow viral diseases, vitamin E deficiency, side effects of medications, alcohol or other toxins.  Some investigations done for the acquired form include MRI/CT imaging, thyroxine, vitamin E level,
Anti-Yo antibodies, Anti-Hu antibodies, Chest X-ray, Mammogram, CT of pelvis, Drug screen, and prion related proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid.  Treatment is related to the under condition causing the ataxia.  If you are intereseted in further neurologic expertise in this field I would refer you to Dr R. Stanley Burns a movement disorder specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.  You can contact our appointment desk at 216-444-5559.  You may also want to get in touch with the National Ataxia Foundation.  Their phone number is 612-473-7666 or write to:
National Ataxia Foundation
600 Twelve Oaks Center
15500 Wayzata Boulevard
Wayzata, MN 55391