PREFACE
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a genetic disorder that causes degeneration in the nervous system. According to the Huntington's Disease Society of America, HD can be described as "having ALS, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's simultaneously". HD is a fatal disorder, and in particular, Late-Onset HD is characterized with symptoms appearing past around the age of 60, severely threatening seniors across the US and the rest of the world.
THE NUMBERS
HD is less common that Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, two other neurodegenerative disorders covered in our Health articles, but it still yields devastating results. Upon diagnosis, HD patients usually live only around 10-20 more years, but it can differ case by case. There are over 40,000 HD patients in the US alone, and about 200,000 more people are at risk for inheriting Huntington's. It is inherited, and the children of a HD patient has a 50% chance of also developing the disorder.
WHAT IS HUNTINGTON'S?
Huntington's is a genetic disorder that was first discovered in 1993. It is caused by the triple repeat of CAG in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. The CAG sequence in genes code for the amino acid glutamate (also known as glutamic acid), and the additional repeat in the HTT gene disrupts the production of the huntingtin protein, causing neurodegeneration within patients.
SYMPTOMS
HD causes a wide range of symptoms, which include difficulty moving, changes in personality, depression, impairments in speech, and more. Tremors and seizures are also common in HD patients. People with HD usually start having symptoms from 30 to 50 years old, but these symptoms continue to progress over the next few years upon appearing. There are also more specific forms of HD, Juvenile and Late-Onset, that are characterized by the start of symptoms either in adolescent years or past the age of 60.
THANK YOU FOR READING
I have listed the sources I referenced for this article as well as resources you can visit for more information, so if you would like to learn more about HD, make sure to check them out. If you have any questions or would like to talk more about HD, feel free to reach out to info.elderlyembrace@gmail.com, and we can have a conversation about Huntington's.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Sources I referenced in this article:
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