National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Spinocerebellar ataxia 40



Other Names:
SCA40; Spinocerebellar ataxia type 40
This disease is grouped under:

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.
orphanet

Orpha Number: 423275

Definition
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 40 (SCA40) is a very rare subtype of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia type 1, characterized by the adult-onset of unsteady gait and dysarthria, followed by wide-based gait, gait ataxia, ocular dysmetria, intention tremor, scanning speech, hyperreflexia and dysdiadochokinesis.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.
Last updated: 4/1/2017

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Broad-based gait
Wide based walk
0002136
Dysarthria
Difficulty articulating speech
0001260
Dysdiadochokinesis
Difficulty performing quick and alternating movements
0002075
Dysmetria
Lack of coordination of movement
0001310
Functional motor deficit 0004302
Gait ataxia
Inability to coordinate movements when walking
0002066
Hyperreflexia
Increased reflexes
0001347
Intention tremor 0002080
Pontocerebellar atrophy 0006879
Scanning speech
Explosive speech
0002168
Spastic paraparesis 0002313
Unsteady gait
Unsteady walk
0002317
Vertical supranuclear gaze palsy 0000511
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Adult onset
Symptoms begin in adulthood
0003581
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Slow progression
Signs and symptoms worsen slowly with time
0003677
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.

Selected Full-Text Journal Articles


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