Symptoms & Diagnosis

weakness in the arms and legs
spasticity
staggering, lurching gait,easily mistaken for drunkenness
difficulty with speech and swallowing
involuntary eye movements
double vision
frequent urination

Symptoms most commonly begin between the ages of 15 and 40, but may appear earlier or much later in life. Progression may be fast or slow, and life expectancy ranges from 10-30 years after the disease begins. Neurologists have classified MJD into three types, depending on age at onset and characteristic symptoms.

Machado Joseph Disease is an autosomal dominant disorder. This means that each child of an affected parent has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the defective gene. MJD does not skip generations, but people at risk who escape the disease will not pass it on to their children or future generations. As with any inherited disorder, MJD is not contagious and cannot be "caught" by people who are not at risk.