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Cerebellar ataxia; Ataxia - acute cerebellar; Cerebellitis; Post-varicella acute cerebellar ataxia; PVACA
Acute cerebellar ataxia in children, especially younger than age 3, may occur several weeks after an illness caused by a virus.
Viral infections that may cause this include
Other causes of acute cerebellar ataxia include:
Ataxia may affect movement of the middle part of the body from the neck to the hip area (the trunk) or the arms and legs (limbs).
When the person is sitting, the body may move side-to-side, back-to-front, or both. Then the body quickly moves back to an upright position.
When a person with ataxia of the arms reaches for an object, the hand may sway back and forth.
Common symptoms of ataxia include:
The doctor will ask if the person has recently been sick and will try to rule out any other causes of the problem. Brain and nervous system examination will be done to identify the areas of the nervous system that are most affected.
The following tests may be ordered:
Treatment depends on the cause:
People whose condition was caused by a recent viral infection should make a full recovery without treatment in a few months. Strokes, bleeding, or infections may cause permanent symptoms.
In rare cases, movement or behavioral disorders may persist.
Call your health care provider if any symptoms of ataxia appear.
Marcdante KJ, Kliegman RM. Ataxia and movement disorders. In: Marcdante KJ, Kliegman RM. Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 183.
Steinlin M. The continuum of parainfectious reactions of the cerebellum in childhood. Neuropediatrics. 2012;43:238-239. PMID: 23065745 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23065745.
Subramony SH, Xia G. Disorders of the cerebellum, including the degenerative ataxias. In: Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 72.
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