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Acute cerebellar ataxia - Overview

Alternative Names

Cerebellar ataxia; Ataxia - acute cerebellar; Cerebellitis

Definition of Acute cerebellar ataxia:

Acute cerebellar ataxia is sudden onset of uncoordinated muscle movement.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Acute cerebellar ataxia is most common in children, especially those younger than age 3. It often occurs several weeks after a viral illness.

Viral infections that may cause this include chickenpox, Coxsackie disease, Epstein-Barr, and mycoplasma pneumonia.

Exposure to older insecticides called organophosphates or other toxins may also cause ataxia.

Reviewed last on: 3/26/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Johnston M. Movement disorders. In: Kliegman R, Behrman R, Jenson H, Stanton B, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 597.

Timmann D, Diener H. Coordination and ataxia. In: Goetz, CG, ed. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 17.

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