Ataxia vs Dysmetria: Difference and Comparison

The brain is the most essential part of the body to control and balance it.

The brain collects the sensory information and processes them, then transmits the signals to the different parts of the body to make the required movement.

But several conditions can destroy this process, for example, Ataxia and Dysmetria.

Key Takeaways

1. Ataxia is a neurological disorder affecting coordination and balance, while dysmetria is a specific type of ataxia that impacts the ability to judge distance and movement.
2. Ataxia can result from various causes, including genetic disorders, brain damage, or vitamin deficiencies, whereas dysmetria is associated with cerebellar dysfunction.
3. Both conditions can severely impact a person’s daily life, but treatment options depend on the underlying cause and may include physical therapy, medications, or lifestyle changes.

Ataxia vs Dysmetria

The difference between Ataxia and Dysmetria is that Ataxia is a disease that raises a condition in which the person can not balance his bodily functions. On the other hand, Dysmetria causes a situation in which the person can not figure out simple measurements when making physical movements to do daily stuff.

Ataxia is a condition in which a person loses control over his body; in other words, his body movement becomes misbalanced. The coordination between the brain and body gets impaired.

The common reason for this condition can be severe damage to the brain’s nerves or muscles responsible for transmitting the signals.

When a person is afflicted with Dysmetria, he cannot measure the distance when involved in physical or muscular acts. It is considered a disease related to the cerebellum because it results from cerebral damage.

The symptoms of Dysmetria also include trouble with speech, lack of balance, abnormal eye movement, etc.

Comparison Table

Parameters Of Comparison	Ataxia	Dysmetria
Meaning	A person suffering from Ataxia can not control his body movement since the transmission gets blocked.	A person who’s suffering from Dysmetria can calculate simple measurements that are necessary to make physical movements.
Type	Dysmetria mainly has only two types, that are Hypermetria and Hypometria depending on the overreaching and underreaching.	Ataxia can be divided into several types, and some of them are Sensory Ataxia, Cerebellar ataxia, Vestibular ataxia, etc.
Caused by	The primary causes that are responsible for Dysmetria are brain tumors, lesions in sensory nerves, damage to the cerebellum, etc.	The tests used to diagnose ataxia disease are finger to nose test and heel to shin test.
Tests to Diagnosis	The tests that are used to diagnose ataxia disease are MRI, blood tests, genetic testing, etc.	The primary causes that are responsible for Ataxia are head injuries, cerebral palsy, HIV infection, toxic medication, etc.
Treatment	No particular treatment is available for Dysmetria but a doctor can suggest occupational, physical, and speech therapy.	No particular treatment is availabledysmetria,etria, but a doctor can suggest occupational, physical, and speech therapy.

What is Ataxia?

Ataxia is also known as Impaired coordination since the coordination between the body and brain gets interrupted. Patients with Ataxia are suggested to get mobility aids to atone muscle control.

These mobility aids include walkers and canes. The leading cause of Ataxia can be damage to the spinal cord or a specific part of the brain known as the cerebellum because both of these work as the connectors of the body and brain.

Also, the injury of some other nerves can be responsible for Ataxia.

Ataxia has multiple types depending on the causes and symptoms,. Some of these are Spinocerebellar ataxias, Ataxia-telangiectasia, Episodic Ataxia, ILOCA, vitamin E deficiency ataxia, acquired Ataxia, Spinocerebellar ataxias, Friedreich’s Ataxia, etc.

The most common type of Ataxia to occur is Friedreich’s Ataxia because it is based on the person’s genes.

The symptoms of Friedreich’s Ataxia are unclear speech, wobbling, frequent falling, troubled swallowing, etc. Even in some cases, the heart muscles of the person get thicker.

Several reasons can cause Ataxia,, such as deficiency of vitamin E and vitamin B-12, thyroid, multiple brain abnormalities, brain injuries, Cerebral palsy, infection such as HIV and LYME, Paraneoplastic syndromes, etc.

When the symptoms get more frequent to affect the body movements, a person is suggested to see the doctor as soon as possible.

What is Dysmetria?

Dysmetria causes a lack of attention towards basic measurements that must be understood to lead a normal life.

For example, a normal person can hit a football without facing any trouble,. In contrast, a person suffering from Dysmetria would undoubtedly be unable to kick the football since he can’t tackle the situation of measurement.

Also, he can not decide the range Of motion required for certain activities; in other words, the person becomes impotent to control speed, distance, and range of motion.

Dysmetria is also considered to be cerebellar Ataxia. The general cause of Dysmetria is an injury delivered to the cerebellum in some way that is capable enough to disturb the coordination between mind and body.

If injured, the nerves that are liable to carry sensory information to the brain of a particular part can be responsible for Dysmetria. These things make it hard for a person to decide whether a movement should start and at what point the activity should stop.

With the assistance of clinical trials and tests, Dysmetria can be diagnosed and treated. One of these tests is finger to nose. In this test, the person must touch his index finger to the nose.

If he found it difficult, then he’s most certainly a victim of Dysmetria.

Main Differences Between Ataxia and Dysmetria

1. The common symptoms of Ataxia are unstable walking and gibberish talk,, while the general symptoms of Dysmetria are poor balance and lack of coordination between brain and body.
2. A person suffering from Ataxia is suggested to take medications and other physical therapies, while in Dysmetria, the person is required to take occupational therapies.
3. A person is considered suffering from Ataxia when his blood and genetics tests show positive results. At the same time, Dysmetria can be diagnosed by running simple tests like a finger-to-nose test.
4. Ataxia can be caused by many different reasons such as infections and medications while Dysmetria is mainly caused by head injuries.
5. Many types of Ataxia have been found, Cerebellar Ataxia, vestibular, and acquired Ataxia,, while Dysmetria has only two types.

References

1. https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/citation/1972/07000/ataxia_telangiectasia.2.aspx
2. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jn.1991.65.3.563

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023