Huntington's+Disease

Huntington's Disease, also known as Huntington Chorea is a genetic disorder in which nerve cells in the brain degenerate. It affects the person's ability to talk, move, and think.



There are two different forms of this disease.


 * The most common, being in adults that develop symptoms in their mid 30's or 40's;
 * And the less common, beginning in childhood or adolescence.

Huntington's disease is caused by a genetic defect on chromosome 4. The defect causes a part of DNA, called a CAG repeat, to occur many more times than it is supposed to. Normally, this section of DNA is repeated 10 to 28 times; but in people with Huntington's disease, it is repeated 36 to 120 times.

If one of your parents has Huntington's disease, you have a 50% chance of getting the gene for the disease. If you get the gene from your parents, you will develop the disease at some point in your life, and can pass it onto your children. If you do not get the gene from your parents, you cannot pass the gene onto your children.  It affects males and females equally and affects all ethnic and racial groups  **What are the symptoms of Huntington's Disease?**  Behavior changes may occur before movement problems, and can include:  > > > > > > >  Abnormal and unusual movements include: > > > > > Dementia that slowly gets worse, including: > > > > > <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease: >
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Behavioral disturbances
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Hallucinations
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Irritability
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Moodiness
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Restlessness or fidgeting
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Paranoia
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Psychosis
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Facial movements, including grimaces
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Head turning to shift eye position
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Slow, uncontrolled movements
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Unsteady gait
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Disorientation or confusion
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Loss of judgment
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Loss of memory
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Personality changes
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Speech changes
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Anxiety, stress, and tension.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Difficulty Swallowing
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Speech impairment

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">__Symptoms in children:__ > > >
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Rigidity
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Slow movements
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Tremor
 * How to doctors diagnose this?**

=
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Doctors can identify the disease by first doing a series of neurological and psychological tests. A genetic test can then confirm the diagnosis by determining if the person indeed has inherited the HD gene mutation. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The doctor will perform a physical exam and may ask questions about the patient's family history and symptoms. ======

A neurological exam will also be done. The doctor may see signs of:
> > > > >
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Dementia
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Abnormal movements
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Abnormal reflexes
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Prancing" and wide walk
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Hesitant speech or poor enunciation


 * Prognosis: What will happen?**

Over time, the disability of the person will get worse. A person with this disease is expected to live 15-20 more years. The cause of death is usually infection, or suicide.

__Complications include:__ > > >
 * Loss of ability to care for self
 * Loss of ability to interact
 * Injury to self or others
 * Increased risk of infection
 * Depression
 * Death


 * Is there a treatment?**

Unfortunately there is no cure for Huntington's nor does treatment help stop it from getting worse. The only thing the treatment can do is help feel the patient more comfortable by slowing down the symptoms and help the person function for as long as possible.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Depression and suicide are common among persons with Huntington's disease. It is important for all those who care for a person with Huntington's disease to monitor for symptoms and treat accordingly. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">As the disease progresses, the person will need assistance and supervision, and may eventually need 24-hour care.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Geneva,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">__//**EC**//__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Geneva,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">CIRM funds several research projects that have the aim of developing stem cell-based therapies for neurological diseases including Huntington's disease. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Geneva,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">One of these is an Early Translational Award that is making the first steps in translating basic discoveries into therapies.

More information on this can be found here: []

[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_diseas][|e] [] [] []
 * __Work Cited__**