Huntington's Disease Analysis

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.

Dementia which was views as a disease is now viewed as a disability. It allows us to view people with dementia as individuals coping with their own impairment and entitled to an adequate quality of life and comfort. To do this it is necessary for us to shift our way of thinking from focusing on dementia as a disease that degenerative without a cure, to focusing on the whole person and seeing dementia as a disability of certain parts of the persons

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.

The three most profound behavioral problems in Huntington 's disease come from the uncontrollable movements called "chorea," dementia, and the altered perception of the

In Geevasinga et al. (2006) stated, the mother and a teacher reported about the nine-year-old boy beginning to have symptoms and behaviors that the child was having at home and during school. As the disease progressed his behavior was severely compromised: he displayed severe emotional frequent changes and experienced nightmares, agitation, and anxiety which led to other behavior problems (p. 552).

In the early stages, a person is still able to be independent, they are still able to still have a social life and still be able to work. For the person, it can be extremely hard for them to grasp that they have this disease. They may feel lost at times, as they realize they are forgetting things slowly, sometimes they can’t remember the location on things that thing may use every day. Family member’s will be able to notice the changes every once in a while, when the person starts to forget someone’s name or they have

The impact that Alzheimer’s disease has on the patient’s family and caregivers is really devastating. It must be very hard for the patient’s family to see what their loved one is going through. They may feel grief and lose. It is a very unfortunate thing for both the patient and the family to live life with the loss of memory. They may have had so many good memories in the past but due to this disease patient may lose all those memories. It is very hard for family and caregivers to see the patient struggling with doing daily activities due to memory impairment. Sometimes it can be overwhelming for family members and caregiver to manage time because they have to give extra attention and dedication. They need to make sure that the patient is

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

Today there are 850,000[2] people who are slowly but steadily losing more and more nerve tissue as the dementia continues to chip away at their brain, memory loss and muscle discoordination ensues as consequence. First it may be mild shakiness and forgetting appointments but ten years down the line it will escalate to a horrific degree. The mild shakiness has progressed causing even the most menial of tasks: eating, washing and getting out of bed have become murderous obstacles without constant assistance. The forgotten appointments have exacerbated into forgotten names of the grandchildren and their birthdays. The disease

This dreaded disease of the brain can wreak havoc on families and caregivers of Dementia patients. Dementia patients become progressively worse until they are solely dependent on their caregivers

     It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.

I was not aware that Alzheimer’s was a disease that can affect members of the same family. This disease can be proceeding in an inconspicuous or harmless way but can have a grave effect. The person may think it’s normal to have forgetful moments but shouldn’t be taken for granted. Due to aging and the things that come with normal aging this disease can be imitating. As an adult a person being independent and having to depend on someone can be daunting crush to their ego to ask for assistance. The person diagnosed with the disease can be proactive and come to terms on how this cam impact one’s family and friends. I was not aware of the many affects it can have upon a person such as thinking, judgment, problem solving, language skills, and personality and movement abilities. The disease is a process and can be scary in coming to terms with. Researchers know a lot about the disease and think it can be beat. Due to modern technology and science medicines they have made tremendously progress. The dying nerve cell, the loss of memory and the thinking ability to perform with this disease may not be cured but great process has been made to see inside the brain for the

The person’s memory continues to decline, they need more help with daily activities, and their personality can start to change. This is the stage where it starts to get harder for the person to handle this disease and it gets harder for their caretaker and their families. It really hits home as to what is happening to your loved one. They start to forget their name and their family’s names. They need reminded to take a shower. They don’t remember how to turn the shower on. They have sleep changes and major personality and behavioral changes. My grandpa went to the bank one day that was a few blocks away and he ended up in another town 30 minutes away because he couldn’t remember how to get home. You realize just how bad it’s getting. Then when you have to take their car keys away and tell them they can’t drive anymore it takes their dignity away. They get angry and act like they never did before. You know that this person would never say some of the things he did or act like they do but this disease does it to

Alzheimer’s Disease affects millions of men and women each day. Those affected face many struggles and live a hard life as their memory slowly deteriorates. Some situations they face we would never wish upon someone else and at times can be very sad to see. Alzheimer’s Disease affects those surrounded by it just as much as it affects the person struggling with the illness. To be able to understand Alzheimer’s it is key to know the symptoms and complications, what it is like to live with the disease and the treatment.

The next disease being discussed, Huntington’s Disease, is a hereditary progressive neurodegenerative disorder that can affect the psyche, emotions, and behavior. However, it is most commonly known for the loss of cognitive functioning as well as motor disturbances (Leffler, 2011). Usually the initial signs of Huntington’s Disease starts with jerky movements that can affect various parts of the body (face, arms, legs, etc.) as well as the gradual beginnings of dementia; the memory is usually impaired. There also may be disorientation, or disillusioned ideas of time, place or identity, as well as personality changes and possible increased agitation. Common neurobehavioral changes include: a tendency to blame others for one’s faults, suspiciousness, impulsiveness, constant complaining, lack of self-control, and lack of