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Child with Ataxia

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Symptom-Based Approach to Pediatric Neurology

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Abstract

The neurological sign, ataxia, is defined as a disturbance in smooth coordination of movements. While ataxia is usually due to a disturbance in the cerebellum, it can be caused by abnormalities anywhere in the neuroaxis. Evaluation of ataxia requires a careful history and physical examination focused on localizing the cause. The differential diagnosis of ataxia is broad and best approached by dividing it into acute/subacute, recurrent/episodic and chronic static or progressive etiologies. Postinfectious cerebellar ataxia is the most common cause of childhood ataxia and usually has a favorable outcome. However, it is important to rule out serious and potentially life-threatening causes such as posterior fossa malignancies. Recurrent episodes of ataxia can be due to a migrainous etiology or from metabolic and genetic causes. Causes of chronic ataxia include structural, genetic or metabolic causes. Management includes symptom-based treatment to ensure safety of the child, while specific treatments usually depend on the underlying etiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Swati A. Karmarkar

  2. Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Deepa S. Rajan

Authors
  1. Swati A. Karmarkar
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  2. Deepa S. Rajan
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Correspondence to Deepa S. Rajan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Deepak M. Kamat

  2. Pediatrics and Neurology, Central Michigan University Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA

    Lalitha Sivaswamy

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Karmarkar, S.A., Rajan, D.S. (2022). Child with Ataxia. In: Kamat, D.M., Sivaswamy, L. (eds) Symptom-Based Approach to Pediatric Neurology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10494-7_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10494-7_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-10493-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-10494-7

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