Doctors may frequently be confusing Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and similar age-related neurological ailments with the symptoms of a recently discovered genetic disorder that’s surprisingly common yet unfamiliar to most physicians.The illness is called fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, or FXTAS (pronounced fax-tass). It typically affects men over age 50, causing tremors, balance problems and dementia, which all progressively worsen over time, much like Parkinson’s and related conditions. People afflicted by the genetic flaw appear normal through childhood and much of their adult life.
