CMJ - Clinical Cases
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Open Access A case of Cerebellar Ataxia(Cambridge Medicine Journal, 2010-09-29) Weaver, Jamie; Brown-Kerr, AlanaMr X, a 66-year-old gentleman, presented to the emergency department with progressively worsening unsteadiness on his feet, double vision, nausea and vomiting. Two months previously the patient noticed he was becoming unsteady on his feet. This progressed such that he was now struggling to walk unaided. Four days prior to his admission the patient developed persistent nausea and vomiting and noticed double vision. It was this that brought him to the emergency department. The patient denied any headaches, vertigo, weakness, confusion, bowel or bladder dysfunction and the unsteadiness was independent of position. Bowel movements were normal and he reported no other symptoms of abdominal pathology. The patient drank on average 10 units of alcohol a week and reported no recent increase in consumption. He was a life-long non-smoker, and denied any recent symptoms of respiratory pathology. On further questioning it emerged that he had noticed weight loss of approx 10kg over the last 2 months. He had no past medical history of note and was currently taking no medications. His father had been diagnosed at 84 with a glioblastoma and a first-cousin, 63 years old, had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. There was no other family history of neurological or neoplastic disorders.