What Are The Potential Signs Of Spinocerebellar Ataxia?

Spinocerebellar ataxia seems to be a genetic disease with many subtypes. However, the most common appears to be SCA3. The disease may be passed from parent to child. Individuals with the gene mutations that cause it may sometimes be asymptomatic. Of course, the warning signs may appear at any point. They seem to be able to worsen at any point as well. Symptoms may affect an individual's movement, vision, and learning, among other functions.

There does not seem to be a cure for spinocerebellar ataxia. However, patients may receive treatment to manage their symptoms. This may include physical therapy for spinocerebellar ataxia. Another option may be assistive devices such as wheelchairs for ataxia. In the end, however, patients may need to review their symptoms and understand them to determine the best spinocerebellar ataxia treatment.

Coordination And Balance Problems

The first warning signs of this condition seem to be problems with balance and coordination. They appear to be quite common, regardless of the patient's specific form of this disorder. The reason may be that the cerebellum is the part of the brain with control over movement. Patients may often have problems walking naturally. Others may believe that they look clumsy. It seems that turning is especially challenging.

Balance issues may appear even when standing. The cause and severity may change between patients. However, it seems a major trigger is the cerebellum's deterioration. There may be several secondary causes in cases like this. One example appears to be episodic vertigo, which can cause balance loss and dizziness. The episodes of this seem to last from minutes to hours.

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Abnormal Speech

Abnormal speech may also appear as a sign of this condition. It appears to be more common in later stages. However, patients may deal with speech issues at any point. The specifics in abnormal speech seem to vary. Some individuals may have breathing issues. This may affect the respiration they need to sound natural when speaking.

Phonation issues appear to be common as well. This refers to the ability that helps individuals make certain sounds. They may need this to sound out words and letters to help others understand what they are saying. Problems with phonation seem to be among the first signs of abnormal speech. Slurred speech appears to set in as the disease progresses. Doctors may use abnormal speech to measure how severe the disease is in patients.

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Vision Problems

Vision problems also seem to be symptoms of this disease. One common one may be reduced low contrast sensitivity. This vision issue appears to make it hard to see objects at night. It may also make it hard to see these items in other cases of low lighting. Patients may also find that their depth perception can worsen. Thus, things like walking up the stairs may become harder. Pouring water into a glass seems to be affected also.

Two other possible vision problems appear to be blurry or double vision. These issues seem to be connected to two common problems with eye movement when this condition is the trigger. Those two issues may be nystagmus and distance esophoria. The first appears to be the uncontrolled, random movement of the eyes. The second may be when the eyes often move inward when individuals look at something.

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Poor Hand-Eye Coordination

Patients may have poor hand-eye coordination as an early symptom of this disease. It seems that this issue may worsen as the condition progresses. Patients may have poor hand-eye coordination due to a few possible reasons. These appear to include vision problems, cognitive impairment, and physical issues with movement. It may be a combination of these as well.

Patients may have issues with their visuospatial memory the most. Thus, they seem to have problems remembering things related to object distance and the space between them. Repetitive tasks or ones needing physical movement may be harder due to this. Hand tremors appear to be a common contributor to poor hand-eye coordination. This may even be one of the first signs spotted in children with this disorder.

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Difficulty Learning

Difficulty learning may be an early warning sign of this disease. Patients seem to deal with other cognitive problems as well. Of course, these symptoms may be signs of the disease progressing. One of the possible affected processes appears to be motor learning. This process should be when individuals adjust their movement to natural body changes.

Patients seem to have their visuospatial learning affected as well. Thus, they may have issues with analyzing or judging objects based on dimensions and distance. Driving a car and similar tasks requiring this skill appear to be challenging as a result. Individuals with this disease may also have their implicit learning impacted. This should be where they are able to learn without being aware that they are doing so. One possible example seems to be having a normal conversation while learning to socialize better. Patients may have other issues due to implicit learning problems. Children, for instance, appear to deal with speech development issues due to it.