Ataxia
IDENTIFIABLE CAUSES OF NONGENETIC ATAXIA
Type Cause
Congenital Developmental
Mass lesion of a specific type Tumor, cyst, aneurysm, hematoma, abscess, normal pressure or partial obstructive
hydrocephalus
Vascular Stroke, hemorrhage; subcortical vascular disease
Infectious/Post-infectious Anthrax;Epstein-Barr; enterovirus;HIV;HTLV;priondisease;
Lyme disease; syphilis; measles, rubella, varicella; Whipple’s disease; progressive multifocal
leukoencephalopathy
Post-anoxic, post- hyperthermic, post-traumatic
Chronic epilepsy
Metabolic Acute thiamine (B1) deficiency; chronic vitamin B12 and E deficiencies; autoimmune
thyroiditis and low thyroid levels
Toxic Drug reactions Amiodarone, cytosine arabinoside, 5-fluorouracil, lithium, phenytoin, valproic acid, and others
Acrylamide, alcohol, organic solvents, organo-lead/mercury/tin, inorganic
bismuth/mercury/thallium
Immune-mediated
Vasculitis Behcet’s, giant cell arteritis, lupus, and others
Paraneoplastic Anti-Yo, Hu, Ri, MaTa, CV2, Zic 4; anti-calcium channel; anti-CRMP-5, ANNA-1,2,3,
mGluR1, TR
Other autoantibodies Anti-GluR2, GADb, MPP1, GQ1b ganglioside; anti-gliadin (most common – reported also in
inherited syndromes as a possible secondary factor; treated with gluten-free diet)c-e
Anti-immune therapies used in reported cases of
immune-mediated cerebellar ataxia
Steroids, plasmapheresis, IVIG, rituximab, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, and others
IDENTIFIABLE CAUSES OF NONGENETIC ATAXIA
Type Cause
Congenital Developmental
Mass lesion of a specific type Tumor, cyst, aneurysm, hematoma, abscess, normal pressure or partial obstructive
hydrocephalus
Vascular Stroke, hemorrhage; subcortical vascular disease
Infectious/Post-infectious Anthrax;Epstein-Barr; enterovirus;HIV;HTLV;priondisease;
Lyme disease; syphilis; measles, rubella, varicella; Whipple’s disease; progressive multifocal
leukoencephalopathy
Post-anoxic, post- hyperthermic, post-traumatic
Chronic epilepsy
Metabolic Acute thiamine (B1) deficiency; chronic vitamin B12 and E deficiencies; autoimmune
thyroiditis and low thyroid levels
Toxic Drug reactions Amiodarone, cytosine arabinoside, 5-fluorouracil, lithium, phenytoin, valproic acid, and others
Acrylamide, alcohol, organic solvents, organo-lead/mercury/tin, inorganic
bismuth/mercury/thallium
Immune-mediated
Vasculitis Behcet’s, giant cell arteritis, lupus, and others
Paraneoplastic Anti-Yo, Hu, Ri, MaTa, CV2, Zic 4; anti-calcium channel; anti-CRMP-5, ANNA-1,2,3,
mGluR1, TR
Other autoantibodies Anti-GluR2, GADb, MPP1, GQ1b ganglioside; anti-gliadin (most common – reported also in
inherited syndromes as a possible secondary factor; treated with gluten-free diet)c-e
Anti-immune therapies used in reported cases of
immune-mediated cerebellar ataxia
Steroids, plasmapheresis, IVIG, rituximab, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, and others
