Overview Of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Symptoms

Spinocerebellar ataxia is a genetic disease. The most common type is SCA3. The gene mutations that cause it are passed from parent to child. Thankfully, many individuals with these do not show symptoms, though they can appear at any point. Of course, the signs vary between types. In most cases, they affect physical movement, learning, and vision.

A spinocerebellar ataxia cure does not exist. However, patients have hope! There are many options for spinocerebellar ataxia treatment available to patients. Physical therapy for SCA is quite common. Many patients also use assistive devices for spinocerebellar ataxia! Of course, the treatments vary based on the patient's symptoms. Patients must first understand their symptoms and then review the best SCA treatments for their needs with a doctor.

Balance And Coordination Problems

The first signs of this condition are often balance and coordination problems. They are hallmark symptoms! The specific type that a patient has does not matter. Many patients are clumsy. They typically struggle to walk naturally! Turns are especially challenging. The reason is that this condition affects the cerebellum. This is the part of the brain that controls movement!

Balance and coordination problems happen for several reasons, varying based on the patient's specific condition. The specific type also impacts the severity of this symptom. In most cases, it is due to the cerebellum's deterioration. However, there are also secondary causes! One example is episodic vertigo. This condition results in balance issues or dizzy episodes. These episodes last from minutes to hours!

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Abnormal Speech

Abnormal speech is another significant symptom. It is more common as the disorder progresses. However, abnormal speech can happen at any point! Speech issues vary within the different types of this disorder. Certain patients have issues breathing. This affects the respiration they need to speak and sound natural to others!

Phonation refers to an individual's ability to produce certain sounds when they talk. They need this skill to sound out words and letters so that other individuals understand them. However, problems with this skill are common. In fact, they are among the first signs of abnormal speech! Many patients experience slurred speech when their disease has gotten severe.

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Vision Problems

Many individuals with this condition experience vision problems. A common issue is reduced low contrast sensitivity. This vision issue makes it hard for patients to see in low lighting. Thus, patients often struggle to see at night! Stereoacuity is another common vision problem in this condition. This is an individual's ability to see dimensional differences. Thus, even simple tasks become challenging for patients. Examples include pouring water into a glass and walking up the stairs!

Many patients also deal with double or blurry vision. This often stems from two eye movement problems. The first is nystagmus, which refers to random, uncontrolled eye movement! Distance esophoria is the second. It occurs when the eyes tend to move inward when an individual looks at an object! In some cases, patients only experience this. Others may not be present with severe vision problems!

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Poor Hand-Eye Coordination

Poor hand-eye coordination is another symptom of this disorder. Subtle changes in this are among the condition's first stages! Hand-eye coordination tends to get worse as the disorder progresses. This symptom has several causes linked to it. Examples are physical issues with movement, vision problems, and cognitive impairment! Of course, a combination of these also triggers poor hand-eye coordination. In addition, many patients have trouble remembering where objects are located, their distance, and the space between them. Thus, patients find tasks dealing with physical movement and repetition difficult!

Hand tremors are common in this condition. They also cause poor hand-eye coordination. In fact, they are among the first noticeable signs of some types of this disorder!

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Difficulty Learning

Difficulty learning or with other cognitive functions are other early symptoms. However, they also indicate that the condition is progressing! Motor learning is one process that this disorder affects. It refers to individuals adapting how they move to natural body changes! Visuospatial learning is also affected. This is an individual's ability to analyze objects based on their dimensions and distance! Unfortunately, patients often cannot determine how far away certain objects are. Thus, they have a hard time with tasks such as driving a car!

Many patients also find implicit learning challenging. This form of learning is one in which individuals are unaware that they are learning! One example occurs when individuals have natural conversations. They are learning to socialize better! Issues with this form of learning triggers many other problems. This includes speech development problems in younger patients.