Causes Of Huntington's Disease

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disease that effects the brain. It has been known to cause involuntary movements. Huntington’s is a fairly uncommon disease; even though it is a dominant trait. Huntington’s disease affects three out of every seven people worldwide. The disease is one of the many genetic diseases that does not have a cure. People who live with Huntington’s disease lose some of the abilities that other people have, such as driving, swallowing, and writing. Huntington’s disease can be tracked all the way back to before medieval times. Before it was given the name Huntington, it was called chorea, which is a Greek word meaning dance. The name chorea originated from Paracelsus, an alchemist from the Renaissance Age. With the involuntary …show more content…
Some researchers have specialized in the CAG repeats. Others have focused on the protein, huntingtin, and how it ties into our functioning body. Others take a look at the deconstruction of certain parts of the brain and try to work backwards.
For many Huntington’s disease patients it is just a trial and error to try and find a set of drugs that can help manage some of the symptoms without making any of the other ones worse. Usually medicine will consistently be adjusting over the course of the time they contracted the symptoms to the time they pass away. Many patients will take antipsychotic drugs to manage the involuntary movements. These drugs may also increase muscle rigidity and muscle …show more content…
They lose the ability to take care of themselves. They have trouble with muscle movement and lack the ability to do even the simplest of things. Some family members of people with Huntington’s disease say that they can spend thirty minutes signing a check, or two hours walk down the stairs. Family members say that patients do sometimes get frustrated and depressed. There is some speculation about whether people with Huntington’s disease are dangerous to themselves and others. People over time have come to believe that people with the disease will just snap and hurt someone. This is actually the opposite. Many people are not even capable of hurt themselves or others on purpose because of the severe movement issues. Many people with Huntington’s disease are scared to get tested and treated for Huntington’s disease because they are afraid of how other people will treat them. They fear if they accept it then they will lose their life right then and