Ataxia affects coordination, balance and speech. Generally, a person with Ataxia, over time, goes from stumbling and walking as if drunk, to using a cane, to depending on a wheelchair. The disease is sometimes fatal. At this time, there is no known treatment or cure. Ataxia is a family of diseases affecting muscle control and the central nervous system.
Symptoms can appear in children as young as four, although the disease is found in all ages.
Poor coordination is the first sign. Walking may be unsteady, hand movements awkward and speech slurred. Diabetes and heart disease are among the other diseases associated with ataxia. Hereditary Ataxia comes in many forms, caused by a recessive or dominant gene. There are also sporadic forms, which have no known gene or family history.