In the United States, approximately 30,000 Americans have Huntington’s disease (HD). Huntington’s disease, also known as Huntington’s chorea, is an autosomal dominant disorder that causes selected neural cell death. With this disease comes concerns regarding what the disease is, its history, and its symptoms. In addition to those components, its stages, diagnoses, and treatments are of great importance as well.
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain and eventually causes death. Every child of a parent that has this disease has a 50% chance of inheriting it. Fortunately, if said child has not inherited Huntington’s disease, he or she cannot develop the disease nor …show more content…
A larger than normal cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat in the Huntington’s disease gene creates an abnormal protein, which begins to kill brain cells. Over a period of time, physical and mental abilities gradually deteriorate, and there is currently no cure. Huntington’s chorea has been acknowledged as a disorder for hundreds of years. Before the 19th century, some stricken with this disease were thought to be possessed by spirits. As a result, they were persecuted as witches, shunned, or exiled. The first recorded mention of it was written in a letter by Charles Oscar Waters in 1842. In 1848, Charles Gorman noted that the disease occurred in particular regions. Johan Christian composed an early description of this Huntington’s disease in 1860, noting dementia along with jerking movement disorders. …show more content…
At the first onset of symptoms, a doctor should be consulted. Most people will visit a neurologist rather than a family doctor to validate the diagnosis and help manage their symptoms. The diagnosis is primarily based on one’s answers to questions, a general physical examination, a review of one’s family medical history, and neurological and psychiatric examinations. Genetic tests can also be arranged to both confirm a diagnosis and identify future risks in obtaining the disease. Genetic tests are generally given to those who have a family history of the disease but do not exhibit signs or symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no treatment to stop or reverse the course of this disease. However, there are drugs to treat and manage certain symptoms of Huntington’s disease. Tetrabenazine, for example, is prescribed to treat chorea. This is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drug for use against Huntington’s disease. Also, antipsychotic drugs are used help reduce chorea and help control hallucinations, delusions, and violent outbursts. Drugs may also be prescribed to treat depression and anxiety. Although these treatments help alleviate symptoms, they may have side effects. Side effects include fatigue, sedation, decreased concentration, restlessness, and hyperexcitability. Moreover, speech therapy can improve
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain and eventually causes death. Every child of a parent that has this disease has a 50% chance of inheriting it. Fortunately, if said child has not inherited Huntington’s disease, he or she cannot develop the disease nor …show more content…
A larger than normal cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat in the Huntington’s disease gene creates an abnormal protein, which begins to kill brain cells. Over a period of time, physical and mental abilities gradually deteriorate, and there is currently no cure. Huntington’s chorea has been acknowledged as a disorder for hundreds of years. Before the 19th century, some stricken with this disease were thought to be possessed by spirits. As a result, they were persecuted as witches, shunned, or exiled. The first recorded mention of it was written in a letter by Charles Oscar Waters in 1842. In 1848, Charles Gorman noted that the disease occurred in particular regions. Johan Christian composed an early description of this Huntington’s disease in 1860, noting dementia along with jerking movement disorders. …show more content…
At the first onset of symptoms, a doctor should be consulted. Most people will visit a neurologist rather than a family doctor to validate the diagnosis and help manage their symptoms. The diagnosis is primarily based on one’s answers to questions, a general physical examination, a review of one’s family medical history, and neurological and psychiatric examinations. Genetic tests can also be arranged to both confirm a diagnosis and identify future risks in obtaining the disease. Genetic tests are generally given to those who have a family history of the disease but do not exhibit signs or symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no treatment to stop or reverse the course of this disease. However, there are drugs to treat and manage certain symptoms of Huntington’s disease. Tetrabenazine, for example, is prescribed to treat chorea. This is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drug for use against Huntington’s disease. Also, antipsychotic drugs are used help reduce chorea and help control hallucinations, delusions, and violent outbursts. Drugs may also be prescribed to treat depression and anxiety. Although these treatments help alleviate symptoms, they may have side effects. Side effects include fatigue, sedation, decreased concentration, restlessness, and hyperexcitability. Moreover, speech therapy can improve