Dealing With Huntington's Disease

Huntington’s Disease is a brain disorder affecting movement, cognition, and emotions (Schoenstadt). It is a genetic disorder generally affecting people in their middle 30s and 40s (Sheth). Worldwide, Huntington’s disease (affects between 3-7 per 100,000 people of European ancestry (Schoenstadt). In the United States alone, 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington’s disease (Genetic Learning Center). Huntington’s Disease is a multi-faceted disease, with a complex inheritance pattern and a wide range of symptoms. There is also much research being done in the field of Huntington’s disease, because as of 2012, this disease is untreatable. THESIS.

Huntington's Disease is a genetic autosomal disorder which effects the brain. It affects about 1 in 20,000 individuals. The symptoms of the disease do not start to occur until after or around 40 years of age. With the onset of the disease the patient starts to gradually deteriorate intellectually, this deterioration also causes involuntary movements. Scientists have only recently found the section of the gene which causes Huntington's disease, and this is allowed them to devise pre-symptomatic tests. However, a cure for the disease is yet to be found.

Huntington's Disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder (Walker, 2007 and Harmon, 2007). The gene that causes the disease is located on the fourth chromosome and causes an abnormal number of repeats in the patient's genetic code (Harmon, 2007). Huntington's Disease can have devastating effects on patients' quality of life. The first symptoms of HD generally start between the ages of 30 and 45 and patients are typically asymptomatic prior to this time (Terrenoire, 1992 and Walker, 2007). However, the disease progresses with subtle changes in motor control, personality, and cognition. Patients eventually develop distinct

Huntington’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder affecting movement, cognition, and emotional state (Schoenstadt). There are two forms of Huntington’s disease (Sheth). The most common is adult-onset Huntington’s disease, with persons usually developing symptoms in their middle 30s and 40s (Sheth). There is an early onset form of Huntington’s disease, beginning in childhood or adolescence, and makes up a small percentage of the Huntington’s population (Sheth). Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder with a short history, a plethora of symptoms, and devastating consequences, with no current cure in sight.

Huntington’s disease begins affecting the organs, it destroys the function of the multiple roles of the nervous system and the brain cells. The disease causes advanced deterioration and loss of brain cells, and contributes to a devastating loss of motor functions followed by advanced cognitive and intellectual impairment.

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder, which is found on the # 4 chromosome. George Huntington discovered it in 1872. It mainly has an effect on the nervous system. There are around 210,000 bases between D4S180 and D4S127. The disease itself is found in 2% of people in their childhood, and in 5% of the people they were older then 60. (Miller p 16) In the majority of the affected people the disease is detected between the ages of 35-45. In males the disease begins around the time of their childhood. However, in females it begins later in life. This severe symptom has a tendency for the condition to worsen as it is passed on from generation to generation. Huntington’s disease is paternally

In 2008, the FDA approved tetrabenazine, which is used to help treat chorea. This was the first drug approved to treat symptoms of HD ("Huntington's Disease: Hope Through Research," n.d.). Additionally, the use of antipsychotic drugs are used to help lessen the extremity of involuntary movements and help moderate the individuals temperament ("Huntington's Disease: Hope Through Research," n.d.). In contrast, the use of antipsychotics are not used to help treat dystonia and may actually worsen these symptoms by causing stiffness in movement ("Huntington's Disease: Hope Through Research," n.d.). Many individuals with HD also suffer from depression and may be prescribed fluoxetine, sertraline, or nortriptyline ("Huntington's Disease: Hope Through Research," n.d.). Mood swings and anxiety are controlled with the use of tranquilizers and/or lithium ("Huntington's Disease: Hope Through Research,"

Rooting back to the middle ages the now commonly known Huntington’s disease is the cause of death in one out of 15000 people around the globe. The disease’s existence is documented through history under many different names depending on the amount of information that was gathered through the unusual progression of the disease. The disease was referred to as Chorea initially due to the jerky movements of the patients affected by it. The first thorough description of the disease surfaced in 1872 as George Huntington whom the disease is named after today presented a detailed definition of the disease through his first paper. George Huntington was able to accurately detect the pattern of inheritance of an autosomal dominant disease by examining the combined medical histories of a family that clearly suffered from the disease through generations. The disease could not be studied further until the rediscovery of the Mendelian Inheritance in the 20th century that allowed scientist to look further into the autosomal dominant disease.

No treatments can alter the course of Huntington's disease. But medications can lessen some symptoms of movement and psychiatric disorders. And multiple interventions can help a person adapt to changes in his or her abilities for a certain amount of time.

Huntington’s Disease is an inherited disease of the brain where the nerve cells break down over time. Huntington’s disease can also be called HD or Huntington’s Chorea, due to over 90% of patients having Chorea as well as HD. Chorea is an abnormal body movement disorder, which affects people with HD when it comes to muscle spasms, and involuntary movements. HD is a very rare disease, fewer than 200,000 cases in the U.S. per year. If an immediate family member has HD, you have a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of inheriting the disease. After the condition appears, patient usually lives for 15 to 18 years, HD is a guaranteed death. HD can cause cognitive amnesia, memory loss, behavioral issues (irritability, lack of restraint, etc.), psychological problems (delirium, depression, paranoia, etc.), anxiety, apathy, mood swings, and many more.

Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative hereditary condition which causes problems in muscle coordination, behavioral symptoms and leads mental deterioration (Hammond and Tatum 2010). Symptom varies among persons of same family. The most punctual side effects are frequently unpretentious issues with state of mind or insight.

Huntington 's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that is caused by a mutation on the HTT gene. It typically effects persons in their third to fifth decade of life and can be passed onto their children. Neurons in the brain waste away or degenerate in different areas causing the characterizing symptoms, such as dance-like movements and mental decline. Diagnosis and prognosis can be devastating to both individual and family. However, there are genetic tests that can help to predict the probability of developing symptoms of the disease. There is no cure for this debilitating disease; only symptom control and maximization of comfort can be prescribed until future research finds a cure. This paper will review origins and symptoms, in addition to treatments and future treatments.

There are many studies trying to slow the progression of this disease. There was one study completed in Maryland that aimed to see if the use of lithium carbonate, with or without divalproex, would increase the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the spinal fluid of patients with Huntington’s Disease. Lithium carbonate is used to treat Bipolar Disorder, while divalproex is used to treat mood disorders and seizure disorders. Both have been linked to the increase of BDNF. During the study, participants would have three spinal taps to measure for increases in their BDNF levels. The study was completed in March 2005 and was last updated in 2008, with no results posted.

Symptoms for Huntington’s disease usually become apparent later in life, between the ages of 30 and 50, but in unusual and severe cases can be visible from as early as age 2. There are three distinct types of symptoms defective huntingtin kills off brain cells, Cognitive, Psychiatric, and Movement disorders. Cognitive Disorders include difficulty in focusing on tasks, a tendency to get stuck on a thought, lack of control that can result in outbursts, lack of awareness of self-behavior, slowness in processing ideas, and difficulty in learning. Psychiatric disorders from Huntington's Disease, is most often depression, however they can also be obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or repeating actions over and over again, mania, or overactivity and hyperactive behavior, bipolar disorder, which is uncontrolled alternating behaviors of depression and mania. Movement disorders include jerking movements, muscle problems, slow eye movements, impaired posture and balance, difficulty with the speech or swallowing, as the tell- tale symptoms for Huntington's Disease . As a result of the above symptoms, it is also common for people with Huntington’s is drastic weight loss (Huntington's

Huntington’s disease, or Huntington’s chorea, is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle proficiency and proceeds to psychological decline and behavioral symptoms (Huntington’s Society, 2013). Symptoms are similar to what is seen with Parkinson’s disease, nevertheless they vary between different individuals and its progression is almost always foreseeable. Those who are suffering from Huntington’s often see symptoms anywhere between the ages of 30-50, however it has been seen in individuals as young as two and as old as 70( Huntington’s Society, 2013). Along with the progression of the disease the severity of the symptoms increase and can be separated into three different stages. In the first stage there are usually slight uncontrolled muscle movements, lack of concentration and mood changes. As the severity worsens they may need assistance proceeding with everyday activities such as walking talking and even swallowing. Irregular jerking movements of the limbs are more consistent and more noticeable to others. In