Acute ataxia

Ataxia is a neurological sign that manifests in a lack of coordination in the movement of different muscles in the body. (1)

It is a clinical finding and not a disease, which mainly presents abnormalities in gait, changes in speech such as scanning speech, and abnormal eye movements such as nystagmus.

It results from dysfunction of the brain areas, responsible for the coordination of movements, and, most commonly, the cerebellum.

The three types of ataxia, according to the location, are cerebellar, sensory, and vestibular.

Acute ataxia may be caused by:

• intoxication - drugs such as alcohol or other abused substances, also phenytoin, piperazine, DDT and lead
• acute cerebellar ataxia, secondary to viral infections in children

Reference

1. Mariotti C, Fancellu R, Di Donato S. An overview of the patient with ataxia. J Neurol. 2005 May;252(5):511-8