Spinocerebellar Ataxia: Symptoms and Treatment

So you think money, property and virtues are all you can inherit? Well, there's news for you actually; you can inherit spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) as well. SCA is a very dangerous genetic degenerative disease.

It's a disease that is transferred from parent to child, and the one inheriting the disease will have the effects more dominant than the other inherited traits. The spinal cord and the brain degenerates (health deteriorates at a rapid pace). It has eleven monstrous types, each evil enough to be called a disease by itself.

The cerebellum, which is responsible for regulating and coordinating complex voluntary muscular movements and maintaining posture and balance, is the part of the brain that degenerates. Due to this, a person affected by this disease slowly loses his ability to perform regular tasks like walking to the store, bending over to tie his shoe laces, or even stand and sit straight. These quintessential functions, when not done, leads to the wasting away of muscles.

Ataxia: This is a condition wherein an individual experiences an inability of the body to maintain basic muscle coordination. Things like hand-eye coordination or even left leg-right leg coordination are a problem.

Speech Impairment: In this condition, the patient will have slurred speech, difficulty in speaking, incoherent speaking, and aphasia (inability to comprehend language and speak in it).

Deformity of the Spine: Ordinarily, the patient will seem to have a bad posture. It could also look like he/she has a hunchback.

Irregular Movements: The individual will seem to have several spasms at irregular intervals. The spasms can vary in intensity.

Paralysis of Lower Limb Muscles: The affected individual will develop paralysis below the waist. The muscles of the thighs or calves can get temporarily paralyzed. However, the duration of paralysis can differ from one patient to another.

If anyone shows these symptoms, take the person to a neurologist at the earliest. Although the disease is, sadly, incurable, there is treatment that will help control the symptoms. On the basis of the cause, type, and properties of SCA, the neurologist will advise medication and vitamin supplements. The medication will not slow down the rate at which the disease progresses though. Nonetheless, it will help by making it easier to deal with the entire ordeal.

The best that we can do for people battling this disease is to support them and help them fill their life with as much joy as we can. After all, the length of the life seldom has consequence, it is the quality that should make a difference.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be replaced for the advice of a medical professional.