Medical term:

ataxy

ataxia

[ah-tak´se-ah]

failure of muscular coordination; irregularity of muscular action. adj., adj atac´tic, atax´ic.

cerebellar ataxia ataxia due to disease of the cerebellum.

Friedreich's ataxia see friedreich's ataxia.

frontal ataxia disturbance of equilibrium associated with tumor of the frontal lobe.

hereditary ataxia Friedreich's ataxia.

hysterical ataxia ataxia recognizable as a conversion symptom; see also astasia-abasia.

locomotor ataxia tabes dorsalis.

sensory ataxia ataxia due to loss of proprioception (joint position sense), resulting in poorly judged movements and becoming aggravated when the eyes are closed.

ataxia-telangiectasia a severe, autosomal recessive, progressive ataxia, associated with telangiectasias (dilation of small blood vessels) in the skin and eyes; immunodeficiency with frequent infections of the respiratory tract from sinuses to lungs; and abnormal eye movements. Called also Louis-Bar's syndrome.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-tak'sē-ă),

An inability to coordinate muscle activity during voluntary movement; most often results from disorders of the cerebellum or the posterior columns of the spinal cord; may involve the limbs, head, or trunk.

Synonym(s): ataxy, incoordination

[G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

ataxia

(ə-tăk′sē-ə)

1. Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement.

2. Any of various degenerative, often hereditary, disorders that are characterized by ataxia and are frequently associated with cerebellar atrophy.

a·tax′ic adj. & n.

ataxia

Neurology
Partial or complete loss of co-ordination of voluntary muscular movement; muscle incoordination and gait unsteadiness due to cerebellar dysfunction, and compromised regulation of limb movement.

DiffDx
Hereditary (AD, AR, X-linked, DNA repair defects, metabolic disorders, mitochondrial disease, multisystem disorders, immune defects, Miller-Fisher syndrome), multiple sclerosis, paraneoplastic, infections (CNS, acute ataxia, viral, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, meningitis mass lesion), abscess, neoplasm, sarcoid, paroxysmal, epilepsy, febrile, migraine, polyneuropathy, anti-MAG Syndrome, GALOP Syndrome, sensory neuronopathy, large fibre, supratentorial, gait disorders, elderly, extrapyramidal, hydrocephalus systemic, amyloid, autoimmune, endocrine (hypoparathyroid, thyroid), GI disorders (coeliac disease, sprue, vitamin E malabsorption, Whipple's disease), toxins and drugs, trauma, vascular, vestibular.

ataxia

Neurology Muscle incoordination and gait unsteadiness due to cerebellar dysfunction, and compromise in regulating limb movement. See Cerebellar gait, Friedreich's ataxia, Hereditary cerebellar ataxia, Spinocerebellar ataxia Vox populi Wobbling.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-taksē-ă)

An inability to coordinate muscle activity, causing jerkiness, and inefficiency of voluntary movement. Often due to disorders of the cerebellum or the posterior columns of the spinal cord; may involve limbs, head, or trunk.
Synonym(s): incoordination.

[G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

ataxia

Unsteadiness in standing and walking from a disorder of the control mechanisms in the brain, or from inadequate information input to the brain from the skin, muscles and joints. From the Greek a , not and taxis , order or arrangement.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Ataxia

The inability to control voluntary muscle movement, most frequently resulting from disorders in the brain or spinal cord.

Mentioned in: Adrenoleukodystrophy, Ataxia-Telangiectasia, Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, Cerebral Palsy, Friedreich's Ataxia, Fugu Poisoning, Gulf War Syndrome

ataxia

An inability to coordinate muscular activity during voluntary movements.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-taksē-ă)

Inability to coordinate muscle activity during voluntary movement; results from disorders of the cerebellum or posterior columns of spinal cord; may involve limbs, head, or trunk. Also called ataxy.

[G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

Patient discussion about ataxia

Q. Can I inherit ataxia to my children? I have Ataxia. Does this mean that all my kids will have it too?

A. The hereditary ataxias are genetic, which means they are caused by a defect in a certain gene that is present from the start of a person's life. There are both dominant and recessive ataxias. If it's a dominant ataxia then each child of a parent with an autosomal dominant ataxia gene has a 50/50 chance of whether they will inherit the ataxia gene or not. If it's recessive then it takes a "double dose" of the ataxia gene to result in disease symptoms. Both parents must be carriers of the disease gene in order for it to pass on. Each child of parents who are both carriers of a recessive disease has a 25% chance of inheriting two ataxia genes so will develop the disease, a 50% chance of inheriting just one of the ataxia genes and, therefore, be a carrier and a 25% chance of inheriting no ataxia gene and be completely free of ataxia.
Therefore, it depends which ataxia gene you have, if it's dominant or recessive and whether your spouse is a carrier too.

More discussions about ataxia

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