Huntington Symptoms

HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE

DESCRIPTION

Huntington’s disease is a rare, inherited disease that causes the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. Huntington’s disease has a wide impact on a person’s functional abilities and usually results in movement, thinking and psychiatric disorders

Symptoms –

Movement disorders

Cognitive disorders

Psychiatric disorders

Seizures

Tremors

Difficulty in paying attention

Risk factors –

CAG repeat length in the huntingtin gene

CAG instability

Genetic modifiers

Diagnosis and tests –

Neurological examination

Neuropsychological testing

Psychiatric evaluation

Brain imaging and function test

Genetic counseling and testing

Predictive genetic test

Treatment –

Medications

Psychotherapy

Speech therapy

Physical therapy

Occupational therapy