HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

What is Huntington's disease?

Huntington's disease (HD) is a brain disorder in which there is progressive neurodegeneration. Problems may develop in the following three areas: movement, thinking, and behavior. Speech and swallowing problems occur when movement and/or thinking control are affected, that cause muscle weakness or distinctive behavior. Problems with memory, sequencing, new learning ability, reasoning, and problem solving also develop.

Huntington's Disease Statistics

When it comes to Huntington's disease, statistics concerning the disorder can be helpful in better understanding the disease and its impact. Based on Huntington's disease statistics, it is estimated that the disorder affects about 30,000 people in the United States alone, and at least 150,000 others have a 50 percent risk of developing Huntington's disease at some point. Other statistics indicate that people with the most common form of Huntington's disease generally live 15 to 25 years after the onset of the disorder.

People affected by the Hunting-ton's Disease

People in U.S.

Statistic-Explanation

People affected by the Hunting-ton's Disease

People in U.S.

This graph here is showing the ratio between the people in the United States with the disease, and just the population of United States. About 0.01% of the population has this disease.

What are some signs or symptoms of Huntington's disease?

Problems with communication and attention vary in nature and severity from person to person. Although there are things that may appear similar, no two people with HD are exactly alike. The following list summarizes problems that people with HD may experience at different stages of the disease. In many cases, a person with HD will experience the same areas of difficulty throughout the course of the disease, with cruelty varying from stage to stage.

Communication problems Muscle weakness, slowness, or in coordination of the lips, tongue, throat,

and jaw. Disruption in programming and sequencing muscle movements for speech. Talking too fast or too slowly. Poor voice quality. Problems coordinating breathing and voice. Word-finding difficulties. Person only responds with one or two words. Incorrect pronunciation of sounds. Problems initiating conversation. Getting "stuck" on certain words or phrases, repeating them often and at

inappropriate times. Reduced ability to maintain a topic or to switch topics appropriately. Inability to speak. Difficulty beginning a word or sentence, with repetition of sounds

(stuttering). Difficulty with understanding information. Difficulty with reading and writing.

In The Mind? Diminished memory, immediate and short-

term. Poor reasoning/judgment. Reduced problem-solving ability. Difficulty sequencing/organizing ideas. Concentration problems/distractibility/short

attention span. New learning ability diminished. Problems with numbers and mathematics

computations.

Swallowing problems Impulsivity while eating. Difficulty controlling rate of food or liquid intake. Difficulty chewing food. Doesn't t kick in even when food moves to the back of the

throat. Holding food/liquid in the mouth. Difficulty initiating a swallow. Inability to swallow. Incomplete swallows in which food or liquid is left in the

mouth and/or throat. Lack of coordination between swallowing process and

breathing or speaking. Need to swallow repeatedly for each bite/sip. Tongue, lips, throat, esophagus. Drooling and/or spillage of food or liquid from the mouth.

How is Huntington's disease diagnosed?

HD is diagnosed through genetic and other neurological testing. Tests can be done before a person has any symptoms to determine if they are carrying the HD gene.

Sources http://nervous-system.emedtv.com/

huntington's-disease/huntington's-disease-statistics.html

www.google.com/health en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Huntington's_disease www.ninds.nih.gov www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/

article/000770.htm www.mayoclinic.com/health/huntingtons-

disease/DS00401

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