Wallenberg’s syndrome is a neurological condition caused by a stroke in the vertebral or posterior inferior cerebellar artery of the brain stem. Symptoms include difficulties with swallowing, hoarseness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, rapid involuntary movements of the eyes (nystagmus), and problems with balance and gait coordination. Some individuals will experience a lack of pain and temperature sensation on only one side of the face, or a pattern of symptoms on opposite sides of the body – such as paralysis or numbness in the right side of the face, with weak or numb limbs on the left side. Uncontrollable hiccups may also occur, and some individuals will lose their sense of taste on one side of the tongue, while preserving taste sensations on the other side. Some people with Wallenberg’s syndrome report that the world seems to be tilted in an unsettling way, which makes it difficult to keep their balance when they walk.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) P.O. Box 1968 (55 Kenosia Avenue) Danbury, CT 06813-1968 orphan@rarediseases.org http://www.rarediseases.org Tel: 203-744-0100 Voice Mail 800-999-NORD (6673) Fax: 203-798-2291 |
American Heart Association 7272 Greenville Avenue Dallas, TX 75231-4596 inquiries@heart.org http://www.americanheart.org Tel: 800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721) 214-373-6300 |
National Stroke Association 9707 East Easter Lane Suite B Centennial, CO 80112-3747 info@stroke.org http://www.stroke.org Tel: 303-649-9299 800-STROKES (787-6537) Fax: 303-649-1328 |
National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) 4200 Forbes Boulevard Suite 202 Lanham, MD 20706-4829 naricinfo@heitechservices.com http://www.naric.com Tel: 301-459-5900/301-459-5984 (TTY) 800-346-2742 Fax: 301-562-2401 |
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
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Last updated February 15, 2007