TV drama “Adopted Father”, Zhang Guo plays Lou Zhijun who suffers from a terminal neurological disorder. Ataxia: the puzzle to be overcome. The emotional and inspirational drama “adoptive father” has been curtain up in several major TV stations, Zhang Guo, Niu Li and other leading actors performed so well that the audience could not hold their tears. In the drama, Zhang Guo plays a kind-hearted adoptive father, Lou Zhijun, who unfortunately suffers from a terminal disease called “hereditary spastic ataxia” and has a series of uncontrollable physical symptoms. When his life is coming to an end, he decides to find the “root” for his three children. Most of the audience may be the first time to hear “hereditary spastic ataxia”. According to the reporter, the exact medical name of hereditary spastic ataxia should be “hereditary ataxia”, is a more common terminal disease in neurology, the current incidence is not low. According to epidemiological survey statistics, the incidence of hereditary ataxia is 8 to 40 per 100,000, more common in males than females, and mostly develops in adolescence. First, the age of onset is mostly seen in adolescents. The play describes that Lou Zhijun was injured in a fall while chasing a thief, and on the advice of a doctor went to the hospital for a checkup, and was found to be suffering from a terminal illness. ”The company’s main business is the development of a new product, which is a new product for the company. “The youngest patients we have seen are teenagers, but it is difficult to confirm the diagnosis in patients before the age of 10 and requires differential diagnosis with a variety of genetic and congenital disorders such as cerebral palsy.” Because the disease is associated with congenital inheritance, a family history of the disease can be found in most cases, while some patients cannot find a genetic history, and the incidence is higher in males than in females. Patients may start out by unintentionally noticing less flexible movement and lower extremity weakness, such as walking feeling a bit clumsy and falling easily, which can lead middle-aged and older patients to mistakenly believe it is due to osteoporosis. “A comprehensive diagnosis can be made through electromyography, nerve conduction, neuroimaging (MRI of the spinal cord and cerebellum, CT examination), combined with the patient’s main symptom presentation, and the doctor’s experience.” He said that pregnant women can predict in advance whether their fetus will suffer from the disease through genetic testing. Second, bursting speech indicates a lesion in the brainstem. When Lou Zhijun’s condition was getting worse, he started to show the symptoms of violent speech. At this point, to which stage of the disease progressed? ”The language abnormality involves the cerebellum, indicating that the patient also has lesions in the cerebellar brainstem.” Luo Yifeng said that with lesions in the cerebellum, the patient speaks like a chant, which is the language disorder of ataxia. When we speak, the control of speech speed relies on the coordination of muscle activity. If ataxia is disrupted, the normal speech speed cannot be guaranteed, the normal sense of rhythm is lost, and speech will stutter, hum, or suddenly pop up without control. There is a special type of hereditary ataxia called “cerebellar ataxia”, the most prominent manifestation of which is burst speech and unstable walking. Third, carrying a heavy bag to walk reduces falls. When Lou Zhijun experienced unstable walking, his doctor told him to walk with a heavy bag. What can these practices do? ”Walking with a bag can exercise the patient’s muscle strength and also help stabilize the body’s balance and reduce falls.” Luo Yifeng points out that the patient keeps falling, suggesting that the condition is worsening and deteriorating. Stand unstable easy to fall no good rehabilitation methods, feet tied sandbags, weight-bearing to increase stability is helpful, do massage can also be, massage can relax the muscles and promote blood circulation. Fourth, stem cell transplantation therapy is not yet mature. Lou Zhijun was once very desperate after the disease, treatment is mainly to do rehabilitation, the plot also did not mention other treatment methods. Luo Yifeng confessed that hereditary ataxia is a terminal disease, the patient’s life span is a dozen years long, short only a few years, so far there is no a satisfactory therapy. “Many patients develop to the point where they lose the ability to take care of themselves and die of physical failure at the end.” For the disease, some rehabilitation physical therapy can be done to help improve and slow down the progression of the disease. For example, patients with high muscle tone (muscle tension) in both feet can be surgically released, or injections and drugs can be given to reduce muscle tone and relieve the spasticity. In addition, neurotrophic drugs can be used to treat the condition. This reporter has seen some websites promoting that stem cell transplantation can treat ataxia. Luo Yifeng clarified that new technologies such as stem cell transplantation and gene therapy are still in the exploratory stage and the technology is not mature, so patients and their families should be careful not to be deceived. Five, ataxia can be divided into four types: Luo Yifeng introduced, ataxia most common four parts of the lesion, the spinal cord, cerebellum, vestibular function, cerebral cortex, and therefore can be divided into four types of ataxia, each with its own characteristics, but all involved in ataxia – unstable standing, motor Poor coordination. 1, juvenile spinal ataxia: adolescents are common, mainly manifested as deep sensory system disorders, patients walk like stepping on cotton, unstable standing with eyes closed, walking with eyes open is still possible. 2.Cerebellar ataxia: Adults are slightly more common, walking with eyes closed and open is a problem, and the patient falls to the east. 3.Vestibular ataxia: Symptoms include dizziness, vertigo, unstable standing, and the body tends to fall to one side. 4.Cortical ataxia: The symptoms are not as distinctive, but accompanied by cortical damage, such as frontal lobe damage, can be found by brain CT examination, the patient has limb disorders. Expert reminder: Careful care to prevent infection! Luo Yifeng stressed that it is very important for family members to take care of the patient and care for him. Lack of activity in the later stages of the patient’s life makes him prone to lung infections, skin ulcers such as pressure sores, urinary tract infections, and often heart and lung failure due to complications. Patients should pay attention to: 1. prevent falls, do not go out alone. 2. 2. It is recommended to go to a regular hospital for rehabilitation training. 3.Strengthen nutrition. Increase the food beneficial to nerve growth, such as fish, eggs, deep-sea fish oil, etc. Patients need to supplement more protein in the late stage due to muscle atrophy, and can eat protein powder. 4, with constipation with open-cell enema, increase fiber diet.