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Everything You Need To Know About The Huntington’S Disease

Everything you need to know about the Huntington’s disease
The Huntington’s disease, abbreviated as HD, is a hereditary disease. It is a neurodegenerative illness. As the brain cells start to deteriorate and die, this illness starts showing emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms. Mutation in the genes is the major cause for this illness, as this mutation produces the huntingtin (HTT) protein. The CAG trinucleotide’s repeated expansion in the first exon of the HD gene leads to this disease.

Everything You Need To Know About The Huntington’S Disease
The HTT protein causes major portions of the brain, such as the putamen and caudate, to eventually die, and the illness then rapidly advances toward the cerebral cortex.

Given below is some information to shed light upon the Hungtinton’s disease.

Is there any cure for the Huntington’s disease?

  • As of today, there is no cure that has been invented to minimize the advancement or stop the progression of the illness.
  • Nonetheless, treatments including usage of specific drugs are used to ease certain symptoms of this disease.

Who can be diagnosed with the Huntington’s disease?

  • As this is a genetic illness, there is a high possibility that a parent with the Huntington’s disease may pass on the illness to their offspring.
  • The gender of the child or individual does not affect the occurrence of this illness.
  • However, the symptoms of this illness start surfacing between the ages of 35 to 55.
  • Nevertheless, the disease itself can surface when the individual is under 20 or even in old age.

What are the symptoms of the Huntington’s disease?

The symptoms of Huntington’s disease vary from person to person, and upon the age at which the disease manifests itself. Some of the symptoms of this disease include:

  • Physical symptoms – Difficulty in walking, poor coordination, loss of weight, difficulty in communicating, a problem in swallowing, visible involuntary movements, etc.
  • Emotional symptoms – Obsessional behavior, anxiety, vulnerability to depression, irritation, apathy, etc.
  • Cognitive symptoms – Inability in planning, recollecting information, and taking decisions; difficulty in concentrating; losing insight, etc.

What are the early stage symptoms of the Huntington’s disease?

The early stage symptoms of the Huntington’s disease are difficult to diagnose; however, if the correct diagnosis is made, then treatment can help in the long-term, and the patient is also better able to cope with the disease. Below are some of the early stage symptoms of the Huntington’s disease:

  • Difficult in coping with new situations and/or organizing and following a routine.
  • Difficulty in recollecting information or taking relevant decisions.
  • Difficulty in executing various activities.
  • Deteriorated ability in paying attention to details.
  • Frequent and sudden mood swings and irritation.
  • Minor involuntary actions like twitching, restlessness, fidgety, and nervous activity.
  • Difficulty in carrying out daily routine tasks like driving and cooking.
  • Observable change in the handwriting.

What are the intermediate stage symptoms of the Huntington’s disease?

As time progresses, the symptoms of the Hungtinton’s disease also tend to advance. However, people in the intermediate stage of Huntington’s disease can manage their household tasks and jobs at a satisfactory level. Although they do experience a lot of difficulty in completing them. Some of the intermediate stage symptoms of the Huntington’s disease include:

  • The involuntary movements in the patient become more obvious.
  • The coordination and balance of the patient are impaired.
  • The patient experiences a lot of difficulty in walking.
  • Finding the desired solution to any given problem becomes all the more difficult at this stage.
  • The patient happens to lose a lot of weight. as swallowing becomes a serious problem.

How is a person tested for the Huntington’s disease?

A person may be recommended by the healthcare provider to undergo brain imaging like an MRI and CT scan in order to help him/her understand the functioning and structure of the brain of the person. The results obtained from the imaging provide a better understanding to the healthcare provider about the various portions of the brain being affected by the Huntington’s disease; however, these results may not be obvious if the person is at an early stage of Huntington disease. Apart from the above scans, a person may have to undergo a few other tests for the doctor to reach a correct diagnosis:

  • Neurological examination – In this testing, the neurologist asks the patient questions and conduct basic tests in order to determine the severity of the various symptoms associated with the Huntington’s disease.
  • Neuropsychological testing – In this testing session, the neurologist conducts simple tests in order to understand the patient’s ability in memorizing and reasoning, mental agility, functioning with the language, etc.
  • Psychiatric evaluation – Often, a psychiatrist is able to detect the Huntington’s disease at an early stage. The psychiatrist conducts tests in terms of various factors like the behavioral patterns, the emotional status of a person, the skills to cope with situations, the ability to judge, etc.
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