ataxia

/ə'tæksi/ Cách viết khác : (ataxia) /ə'tæksiə/

Thân thiện

A patient with ataxia struggles to walk in a straight line.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medical condition characterized by the inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements: Ataxia refers to a neurological sign involving a lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements, which can affect gait, speech, and eye movements. It is a symptom of an underlying condition rather than a disease itself.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient's ataxia made walking without assistance very difficult.
  • Cerebellar damage often results in ataxia and tremors.
  • The doctor noted signs of ataxia during the neurological examination.

Advanced Usage

• "Sensory ataxia": A type of ataxia caused by loss of proprioception (the sense of body position), often due to damage to the dorsal columns of the spinal cord or peripheral nerves.

  • The patient's sensory ataxia worsened when asked to walk with their eyes closed.

• "Cerebellar ataxia": Ataxia specifically resulting from dysfunction of the cerebellum, a part of the brain responsible for motor control.

  • The tumor's location suggested it was the cause of her progressive cerebellar ataxia.

• "Friedreich's ataxia": A specific, inherited, progressive neurological disorder that causes ataxia.

  • He was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia in his teenage years.

Variants and Related Words

• Ataxic (adj): Pertaining to or affected by ataxia.

  • The patient exhibited ataxic movements.

• Dystaxia (n): A milder or partial form of ataxia.

Synonyms

• Incoordination: Lack of coordination, especially of muscle movements.
• Motor incoordination: A more specific term for the unsteadiness in movement.

Related Phrases

• "Gait ataxia": Unsteadiness and lack of coordination specifically in walking.

  • Gait ataxia is a common presenting symptom.

• "Truncal ataxia": Instability in the torso or trunk of the body.

  • The child's truncal ataxia made sitting upright a challenge.

Notes

• Ataxia is a clinical sign. The term is primarily used in medical and neurological contexts to describe impaired coordination. It is not used in general, everyday language.

Học thuật

Noun

1. inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements; unsteady movements and staggering gait

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ataxy
• dyssynergia
• motor ataxia