Corazza LA, Reis Rosa AB, Tonholo Silva TY, Rezende Filho FM, Maranhão-Filho PA, Pedroso JL, Barsottini OGP, Espay AJ. Functional ataxia in a specialized ataxia center.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2024;
120:106006. [PMID:
38244461 DOI:
10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.106006]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Functional gait is a disorder of ambulation and balance internally inconsistent and incongruent with the phenotypic spectrum of neurological gait disorders.
OBJECTIVES
This paper aims to clinically characterize patients with functional ataxia.
METHODS
Patients with functional ataxia were analyzed out of 1350 patients in Ataxia Unit of the Federal University of São Paulo circa 2008 to 2022.
RESULTS
Thirteen patients (1 %) presented with functional ataxia; all female, with a median age of 34.8 years. Six (46.2 %) had psychiatric comorbidities and 7 (53.8 %) endorsed a trigger. Diagnostic features included variable base and stride (100 %), "huffing and puffing" (30.7 %), knee-buckling (30.7 %), uneconomic posturing (38.5 %), tightrope walking (23 %), and trembling gait (15.4 %). Remarkably, no falls were reported in any case. 53.8 % recovered fully or partially, despite no treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
Variability of base and stride are universal features of functional ataxia, yet falls are inconspicuous. Functional Ataxia is rare even in a specialized ataxia center.
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