Holguín to celebrate International Ataxia Awareness Day
- Written by Lourdes Pichs Rodríguez
- Published in Health
- Hits: 86
Holguín will celebrate the International Ataxia Awareness Day on September 25th with a scientific conference aimed at raising awareness of this neurodegenerative disease that progressively affects coordination, balance, speech, and mobility, and can lead to severe disability.
In Cuba, and particularly in Holguín, spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) has a high prevalence among patients and family members at risk of developing the condition.
SCA2 causes motor impairments, difficulty speaking and swallowing, muscle weakness, and slower eye movements, significantly reducing the quality of life of those affected. In response, the Center for Research and Rehabilitation of Hereditary Ataxias (Cirah) in Holguín—the only institution of its kind in Latin America—continues to conduct research aimed at finding treatments and improving patient care.
As part of the commemoration, the Third Scientific Conference on Neurosciences and the First Ataxia Knowledge-Sharing Workshop will take place from September 23 to 25.
The event will be held at the amphitheater of the Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital and will feature around ten lectures on recent research, including a study on the effectiveness of NeuroEpo for clinical manifestations of SCA2.
The opening will be led by Dr. Jacqueline Medrano Montero, director of Cirah.
