By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay Reporter. SUNDAY, Feb. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cat bites may look less serious than dog bites, but beware: They can cause dangerous infections, particularly when they involve the hand, new research indicates.
Donate to the National Ataxia Foundation. Causes of Ataxia. The hereditary ataxias are genetic, which means they are caused by a defect in a certain gene that is present from the start of a person's life. All of us have genes that have little mistakes or variations but most of these do not cause disease, they are called mutations.
Doctors use the term ataxia to describe distinct medical syndromes or disorders, as well as ataxic symptoms of larger syndromes or disorders. There are dozens of distinct ataxias, including disorders called ataxia telangiectasia, spinocerebellar ataxia type 5, and Friedrichâs ataxia.