title: Congestive heart failure and cardiac thrombus as first presentations of Friedreich ataxia.
abstract: The majority of patients with Friedreich ataxia present with gait ataxia. Congestive heart failure usually is a terminal event. We report a 9-year-old boy who developed congestive heart failure and thrombus formation in the left ventricle at age 5 years and then progressive ataxia as well as other features of Friedreich ataxia; therefore, congestive heart failure and thrombus formation may rarely be the initial findings in Friedreich ataxia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Children's Hospital, Columbus 43205.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Craenen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*