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Living with Hereditary spastic paraplegia 10

A type of hereditary spastic paraplegia with leg stiffness that can come with nerve, thinking, and eye changes.

Understanding Hereditary spastic paraplegia 10

Hereditary spastic paraplegia 10 is a rare type of hereditary spastic paraplegia that can be pure or complex.

The pure form causes stiff legs, brisk reflexes, and starts in childhood or adolescence. The complex form adds other features, such as nerve damage with wasting of the arm muscles, moderate intellectual disability, and parkinsonism. Hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa have also been reported. It can start from childhood to adulthood.

Signs & symptoms

Symptoms vary from person to person. GARD lists these among the most common:

  • Stiff leg muscles (spasticity)
  • Leg weakness
  • Brisk reflexes
  • Reduced feeling in the hands and feet
  • Nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)
  • Bladder urgency

Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.

Diagnosis

  1. Talk with your doctor

    Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.

  2. See a specialist

    Specialists who may be involved include brain and nervous system specialists and genetic specialists.

  3. Consider genetic testing

    Changes in KIF5A are linked to this condition. Genetic testing and counseling can help confirm a diagnosis and explain what it means for your family.

  4. Connect with expert centers

    Spastic Paraplegia Foundation may keep lists of experts for this condition.

Care & treatment

Care team
Brain and nervous system specialists (neurologists); Genetic specialists (geneticists)
Expert care
Expert lists: Spastic Paraplegia Foundation
Treatment
GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
Research
Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.

General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.

Everyday life

Living with a rare condition is easier with support.

  • Connect with Spastic Paraplegia Foundation
  • Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
  • Ask about patient registries that help research
  • Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Bring these questions to your next doctor visit
Could genetic testing for the KIF5A gene confirm the diagnosis?
Do I have the pure or the complex form?
Should my eyes and hearing be checked?

Quick facts

Symptoms usually startfrom Childhood to Adulthood
InheritanceAutosomal Dominant
GenesKIF5A

It is caused by changes in the KIF5A gene. It is autosomal dominant, so one changed copy of the gene is enough.

GeneticNeurological

Also known as: autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia 10; autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia type 10; hereditary spastic paraplegia caused by mutation in kif5a; hereditary spastic paraplegia type 10; kif5a hereditary spastic paraplegia; spastic paraplegia 10 with or without peripheral neuropathy

Patient organizations

Broader rare-disease groups

Source: NIH GARD · Hereditary spastic paraplegia 10GARD ID 9590 · GARD page updated September 2026 · Plain-language summary by Know Rare; editorial review pending. General information, not medical advice.

You are more than your diagnosis

Perspectives from people navigating life with Hereditary spastic paraplegia 10.

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