Huntington’s Disease: A Dominant Genetic Neurological Disorder
Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder, which means it is passed down through the family line. A genetic defect in a certain chromosome causes nerve cells in the brain to die. Children of parent’s with Huntington’s disease have a fifty percent chance of inheriting the disease and passing it along to their own children. If you do not inherit the gene you can not pass it on. Most people with Huntington’s disease get sick in their thirties or forties. There are however cases of early onset Huntington’s disease where it develops in childhood or adolescences, however this is very rare.
The disease causes a wide array of symptoms. Abnormal uncontrollable movements, combined with dementia which slowly gets worse and behavioral changes are all signs of Huntington’s disease. It is important to see a doctor when symptoms begin to start on treatment. While there is no cure, the goal in treating Huntington’s disease is to slow down it’s progression as much as possible. Everyone’s body responds differently to the disease. While most patients’ die fifteen to twenty years after being diagnosed there is no reason to believe that will be true of all people. Adequate treatment can increase quality of life.