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.
ataxia - inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements; unsteady movements and staggering gait. ataxy, dyssynergia, motor ataxia. nervous disorder, neurological disease, neurological disorder - a disorder of the nervous system. Friedreich's ataxia, herediatry spinal ataxia - sclerosis of the posterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord; characterized by muscular weakness and abnormal gait; occurs in children.