Acute cerebellar ataxia is an infectious disease whose dominant symptom is the rapidly developing cerebellar syndrome. It is a mild form of viral infection of the central nervous system confined to the cerebellum. What are the causes and symptoms of cerebellar ataxia? How is the treatment going?
Acute cerebellar ataxia( acute cerebellar ataxia , ACA) is most often caused by the following etiological factors: virusECHO,Coxsackie ,Varicella zoster virus(VZV, smallpox virus), measles virus, influenza virus, herpes virus and poliomyelitis. The cases usually affect children in nursery and preschool age, and the greatest incidence is in the fall-winter and spring periods.
Acute cerebellar ataxia: symptoms
The onset of the disease is sudden, usually without fever or with a short-term and slight increase in body temperature. Within a dozen or so hours, the syndrome of severe ataxia of the torso and lower extremities develops, which prevents the child from walking or even standing independently. It may be accompanied by symptoms of impaired coordination of movements of the lower limbs, intentional tremors, decreased muscle tone, nystagmus and chanting of speech. It is also possible for the coexistence of disorders in the child's behavior, such as emotional lability, hyperactivity or sleep disturbances.
In addition to the full-blown forms of acute cerebellar ataxia, there are also mild forms with partial manifestation of clinical symptoms. The neurological symptoms then last for several days and usually decrease in intensity fairly quickly. Most babies recover fully within a month, although there are cases that last longer.
Acute cerebellar ataxia: diagnosis
The diagnosis is made on the basis of the clinical picture and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid - always after excluding intracranial hypertension. Initially, a slight lymphocytic pleocytosis occurs in the cerebrospinal fluid, which in the later stage of the disease gives way to an increased concentration of protein (the so-called cell-protein cleavage). Please note that some children may not have changes to the cerebrospinal fluid.
Imaging methods of the central nervous system, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, are also used in diagnostics.
In order to clarify the etiology of the disease, it is advisable to perform virological tests.
Acute cerebellar ataxia: differentiation
Acute cerebellar ataxia is differentiated with chronic cerebellar syndromes, proliferative processes in the posterior cranial cavity, as well as intoxication, drug intolerance, and myoclonic encephalopathy syndrome.
Acute cerebellar ataxia: treatment
There is no causal treatment for acute cerebellar ataxia. The use of pharmacotherapy in the form of steroids is usually unnecessary due to the fact that the disease process is self-limiting.