Home > Encyclopedia of Children's Health > Friedreich's Ataxia

Definition

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is an inherited, progressive nervous system disorder causing loss of balance and coordination, speech problems, and heart disease.

Description

FA is an inherited disease marked by impaired coordination that is a result of degeneration of the structures in the cerebellum and the spinal cord, which are responsible for coordination, muscle movement, and some sensory functions, including color vision and hearing. The intellect of a child with FA is normal.

FA is an autosomal recessive disease, which means that two defective gene copies, one from each parent, must be inherited to develop symptoms. A person with only one defective gene copy will not show signs of FA, but may pass along the gene to offspring. Couples with one child affected by FA have a...