Description

• Huntington's disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain.
• HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child
• Some early symptoms of HD are mood swings, depression, irritability, trouble driving, memory loss and abnormal movements.

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Huntington's disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties and emotional disturbance.

HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene. If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will not develop the disease and cannot pass it to subsequent generations.

A person who inherits the HD gene will sooner or later develop the disease. Whether one child inherits the gene has no bearing on whether others will or will not inherit the gene.

Symptoms

As the disease progresses, concentration on intellectual tasks becomes increasingly difficult and the patient may have difficulty feeding himself or herself and swallowing. The rate of disease progression and the age of onset vary from person to person.

Diagnosis

Prognosis

(Reviewed by Dr Andrew Rose-Innes, Yale University School of Medicine)

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