The combination of writing difficulty, dystonia and ataxia is a distinctive constellation that is reminiscent of a previously described clinical entity called Dystonia Ataxia Syndrome (DYTCA) and is an important clinical indicator of COQ8A mutations, even when ataxia is mild or absent.
Dystonia is common in Leigh syndrome (which may be caused by 75 different genes) and in Leber hereditary ocular neuropathy (LHON) plus disease, due to mutations in mtDNA genes that encode subunits of NADH dehydrogenase, as well as in ARCA2, pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), mitochondrial membrane protein-associated neurodegeneration (MPAN) and POLG1 mutations.