HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

BIRTH DEFECT

• Nerve cells in certain parts of the brain waste away, or degenerate.
• A progressive brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movements,
• emotional problems, and loss of thinking ability (cognition).
• It makes you develop involuntary jerking or twitching
• movements known as chorea.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

• Huntington's disease is a disorder passed down through families.
• Adult-onset Huntington disease, the most common form of this disorder,
• usually appears in a person's thirties or forties.
• Individuals with the adult-onset form of Huntington disease usually live
• about 15 to 20 years after signs and symptoms begin.

Symptoms of HD include mood swing, irritability, depression, and anger. The disease may affect a person's judgment, memory, and other cognitive functions.

A diagnosis of Huntington's disease is based primarily on your answers to questions, a general physical exam, a review of your family medical history, and neurological and psychiatric examinations.

There is no cure for Huntington disease. There is no known way to stop the disease from getting worse. The goal of treatment is to slow the symptoms and help the person function for as long as possible.
Medicines can be prescribed, depending on the symptoms.

The disease was named for Dr. George Huntington, who first described it in 1872.
In the United States, about 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington's disease.