Huntington disease (HD) or HD chorea is progressive neurodegenerative autosomal dominant disease that is defined by the motor, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms that influence “about one in ten thousand people in the western hemispheres” (Novak et al. 234). HD chorea is often identified by the movement difficulties that it causes, and “In fact, when HD was first discovered it was called Huntington’s chorea, as a reference to the uncontrollable, dance-like movement that is common among people with HD” (Walker 221). To date, there is no cure for HD chorea, but recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of a drug called tetrabenazine (TBZ) “to treat involuntary movements in a variety of movement disorders” (Kegelmeyer
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HD chorea can be displayed in juveniles, “defined as onset occurring before 20 years, in which rigidity and bradykinesia are predominant motor symptoms”, but its symptoms usually manifest themselves during the fourth or fifth decade of life (Pidgeon et al. 245). The early stages of HD chorea are marked by the cognitive deficiencies of: decreased problem solving and decision-making, difficulty speaking and understanding language, visuospatial perception, and by its most cardinal early warning sign of chorea. Chorea is formed from the Greek word for dance, and is characterized by the involuntary “jerky” movements of the head and neck, arms and hands, legs and feet; and as the disease progresses during these early stages, this excessive involuntary or hyperkinetic movement becomes especially exacerbated by trying to initiate voluntary movements such as: getting out of bed in the morning, taking a step, or trying to reach for something. The latter stages of HD chorea are marked by the behavioral and cognitive deficiencies of: depression, dementia with personality change, slowing of eye movement, difficulty swallowing, and by the stark contrast of hypokinetic movement that now results in an inability to make voluntary movements that are similar to those seen in Parkinson’s disease patients. It is important to note that the combination of these HD chorea symptoms usually become fatal within 15-20 years after the initial onset of symptoms, and death usually occurs not just from brain degeneration but from “secondary causes such as pneumonia” (Pidgeon et al.
HD chorea can be displayed in juveniles, “defined as onset occurring before 20 years, in which rigidity and bradykinesia are predominant motor symptoms”, but its symptoms usually manifest themselves during the fourth or fifth decade of life (Pidgeon et al. 245). The early stages of HD chorea are marked by the cognitive deficiencies of: decreased problem solving and decision-making, difficulty speaking and understanding language, visuospatial perception, and by its most cardinal early warning sign of chorea. Chorea is formed from the Greek word for dance, and is characterized by the involuntary “jerky” movements of the head and neck, arms and hands, legs and feet; and as the disease progresses during these early stages, this excessive involuntary or hyperkinetic movement becomes especially exacerbated by trying to initiate voluntary movements such as: getting out of bed in the morning, taking a step, or trying to reach for something. The latter stages of HD chorea are marked by the behavioral and cognitive deficiencies of: depression, dementia with personality change, slowing of eye movement, difficulty swallowing, and by the stark contrast of hypokinetic movement that now results in an inability to make voluntary movements that are similar to those seen in Parkinson’s disease patients. It is important to note that the combination of these HD chorea symptoms usually become fatal within 15-20 years after the initial onset of symptoms, and death usually occurs not just from brain degeneration but from “secondary causes such as pneumonia” (Pidgeon et al.