At least 10% of sporadic cerebellar ataxia may be related to immune-mediated mechanisms which include gliadin intolerance. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Immunological reactivity against neuronal and non-neuronal antigens in sporadic adult-onset cerebellar ataxia.
Eur Neurol. 2009 ;62(6):356-61. Epub 2009 Sep 26. PMID: 19786780
SOD Genetica delle Malattie Neurodegenerative e Metaboliche, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italia.
In recent years, the involvement of the immune system in acquired forms of cerebellar ataxia has been frequently demonstrated. In this study, we describe 6 out of 49 patients with subacute or chronic progressive cerebellar ataxia in whom antibodies against neuronal and non-neuronal antigens were identified. Two women had anti-Yo antibodies; two patients had anti-gliadin antibodies in the presence of celiac disease; one patient had a complex autoimmune disorder associated with anti-Ro-52/SS-A and anti-muscle-specific kinase antibodies, and a patient developed subacute cerebellar syndrome associated with the presence of a prostatic adenocarcinoma and atypical antibodies reacting both with cerebellar tissue and with the prostatic tumor. Our study confirms previous findings in paraneoplastic syndromes, and indicates that at least 10% of sporadic cerebellar ataxia may be related to immune-mediated mechanisms.