Cerebellar ataxia and central nervous system whipple disease.
BACKGROUND
Whipple disease (WD) is an infectious disease, which may affect the central nervous system. Central nervous system symptoms are eventually present in as many as 43% of the cases. To our knowledge, cerebellar ataxia in WD has never been formally studied in any large series.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of cerebellar ataxia in central nervous system WD.


RESULTS
Between January 1974 and December 2003, we identified 11 patients who met criteria for definite central nervous system WD, the second largest series to date. Surprisingly, while oculomasticatory myorrhythmia was recorded in only 1 patient (9%), cerebellar ataxia had been documented in 5 cases (45%).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that cerebellar ataxia should be considered a more common feature of central nervous system WD.
Matthews
Brandy R
BR
Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn 55905, USA.
Jones
Lyell K
LK
Saad
Dahlia A
DA
Aksamit
Allen J
AJ
Josephs
Keith A
KA
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008061:Whipple Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D002443:Ceftriaxone; D014295:Trimethoprim; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole