Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W096
Diagnosis: Huntington’s Disease
US Patients:
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: 30-50 years; The patient ultimately dies from the disease.
Brain Area: striatum (center)is affected first; then effects move out to damage other areas; caudate nucleus & putamen-brain center.
Symptoms: unsteady walking & lack of coordination. “chorea” = jerky, uncontrollable movements; saccadic (darting) eye movements
Progression: unable to talk; loss of decision-making and memory=lead to dementia; suicidal thoughts
Causes: gene from a parent, but 10% are new mutation; the mutant damages brain cells; genes do not skip generations.
Medications:
Therapies: stem-cells to replace lost neurons; Huntington’s is too complex to explain fairly here. It is both awful and fatal in the end.
Youtube Video:
Huntington’s Disease Treatment
Youtube Video: Living with Juvenile Huntington’s Disease
Amazon or Library Book: 2019 Huntington’s Disease
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: hdsa.org; huntingtonassoc.com
(Huntington’s Disease Society of America)
Contact your local Social Security office for possible Disability Benefits through their Disability Determination Services,
Section 12.02.
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Application of antisense oligonucleotide drugs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Huntington's diseaseby Kaili Ou on January 22, 2025
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD) are diverse in clinical presentation and are caused by complex and multiple factors, including genetic mutations and environmental factors. Numerous therapeutic approaches have been developed based on the genetic causes and potential mechanisms of ALS and HD. Currently, available treatments for various neurodegenerative diseases can alleviate symptoms but do not provide a definitive cure. Gene therapy, which aims to modify or...
- Evaluating Use of Empagliflozin for Diabetes Management in Veterans With Chronic Kidney Diseaseby Chelsey Williams on January 22, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: Empagliflozin is a favorable option for reducing HbA(1c) levels in patients with diabetes and CKD.
- Olfactory dysfunction as potential biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases: a narrative reviewby Nicolas De Cleene on January 22, 2025
Neurodegenerative diseases represent a group of disorders characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons in the central nervous system, leading to a range of cognitive, motor, and sensory impairments. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between neurodegenerative diseases and olfactory dysfunction (OD). Characterized by a decline in the ability to detect or identify odors, OD has been observed in various conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD),...
- Adult Neurogenesis in the Subventricular Zone of Patients with Huntington's and Parkinson's Diseases and following Long-Term Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulationby Marta Snapyan on January 20, 2025
OBJECTIVE: Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases are characterized by progressive neuronal loss. Previous studies using human postmortem tissues have shown the impact of neurodegenerative disorders on adult neurogenesis. The extent to which adult neural stem cells are activated in the subventricular zone and whether therapeutic treatments such as deep brain stimulation promote adult neurogenesis remains unclear. The goal of the present study is to assess adult neural stem cells activation and...