Today is International Ataxia Awareness Day




 September 25 2017 is celebrated as International Ataxia Awareness Day worldwide. 

Ataxia is described as loss of full control of bodily movements. By way of origin, ‘ataxia’ is derived from the Greek term ‘a taxis’ meaning without order or balance or coordination. 

A person with ataxia has difficulty maintaining body balance at rest or in motion and usually has an unstable gait. Frequent falls may ensue (Remember that 2 days ago was marked as Falls Prevention Day).

The condition can be clinically distinguished as either sensory or motor ataxia, depending on the anatomic location of the lesion responsible (posterior column spinal cord or cerebellum respectively).

There are numerous causes of ataxia. These range from commoner causes like stroke, migraine, alcohol, anticonvulsant medications, nervous system tumours and vitamin E deficiency to neurodegenerative disorders like Friedereich’s ataxia and ataxia-telangiectasis. There are other causes of ataxia which are very well suited for more academic settings.

Some of these conditions are amenable to treatment, restoring considerable relief, comfort and physical functioning to many individuals as ataxia can be quite a disabling condition.

So, as we mark International Ataxia Awareness Day, let us be alert to the possibility that a particular person who elaborates a peculiar ‘swag’ on walking may indeed be demonstrating ataxic gait and should be encouraged to visit the Neurologist!

Let us kick ataxia back into line!
Neurologist, Professor, Researcher, Scientist, Mentor.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Much of reality is invisible to man

Image
 Most of physical reality is invisible to us, according to science. 95% of the cosmos may be forever beyond our ability to sense or detect it. Our eyes detect light within a narrow range of 380-770 nanometers, while our ears register sound between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Beyond these limits, ultraviolet and infrared light remain invisible, and ultrasonic or infrasonic sounds go unheard. Yet, these unseen and unheard frequencies exist all around us, influencing nature and our bodies in ways we may not realize. From radio waves to deep-sea whale calls, countless signals move through the air and environment, unnoticed by human senses. Modern technology, like infrared cameras and ultrasonic sensors, helps bridge this sensory gap, revealing an unseen world filled with vital information. Still, what else might we be missing? For example, neutrinos are abundant subatomic particles that pass through almost everything — including our bodies — and only very rarely interact with matter. And we have...
Read more

Your mind is your power

Image
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. Use your brain. Train your mind. Don't be ignorant or feeble in thinking. Learn. Question. Ask. Probe. Think. Feed your quest for knowledge. Have the spirit of scientific inquiry. Know yourself. Do you. Love you. Don't be a mugu. Stop being a sheeple. Aspire to acquire the desire that you admire. Your mind is your instrument of power. Photo credit: TMJ
Read more

On the evolution of the University of Nigeria over the years

The University of Nigeria has indeed come a long way from its inception in 1960 as the first indigenous university in Nigeria. Beginning as a single campus at Nsukka, the Enugu Campus was included several years later. Recently it has expanded even further with the additional location at Ituku-Ozalla where the prestigious College of Medicine is located, adjacent to the new site of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. It is hoped that the Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla Campuses will witness development to par (if not exceed) the level at the Nsukka Campus. This challenge, the current University administration is more than capable of overcoming, even in the face of dwindling funding from the Federal Government. As a proud alumnus of the University, one has a special attachment and desire to contribute one's best to teaching, learning and research activities in the institution. To excel is a continuous task.
Read more