Symptoms typically begin sometime between the ages of 5 to 15 years, but in Late Onset FA may occur in the 20s or 30s. Symptoms include any combination, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Muscle weakness in the arms and legs
- Loss of coordination
- Vision impairment
- Hearing loss
- Slurred speech
- Curvature of the spine (scoliosis)
- High plantar arches ( pes cavus deformity of the foot)
- Diabetes
- Heart disorders (e.g., atrial fibrillation, and resultant tachycardia (fast heart rate) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy )
It presents before 25 years of age with progressive staggering or stumbling gait and frequent falling. Lower extremities are more severely involved.
These symptoms are slow and progressive. Long-term observation shows that many patients reach a plateau in symptoms in the patient's early adulthood.
Further Reading
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"Friedreich's ataxia"
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