Itinerarios terapéuticos de la población con Ataxia espinocerebelosa tipo 7 en Veracruz (México): una aproximación antropológica a las enfermedades de baja prevalencia

This article explores the therapeutic itineraries of people living with spinocerebellar ataxia type 7, a genetic and neurodegenerative disease, classified as rare and with a high prevalence among the inhabitants of five municipalities located in the central part of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Based on a qualitative methodology, ethnographic work was carried out from November 2022 to March 2023 in Tlaltetela, one of the municipalities affected by this disease. Currently, there is no research in the field of Social Anthropology on this disease in the context of Mexico and Latin America, so the findings of this research allow understanding the social and cultural effects of living with this condition, emphasizing the barriers in the access to resources that are available in the absence of specialized treatments, as well as the role played by civil society and the self-care practices of this population.