Huntingtons Disease Huntingtons disease is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects the 4 th chromosome, called huntingtin.

It is defective of a certain strand of DNA that is repeated more times than normal. This increases the decay rates of neurons, affecting the brain and its responses. The longer the gene is passed down through families the repeats are greater, meaning the symptoms are more severe. Symptoms could even develop earlier than usual. However, symptoms typically appear once one reaches adulthood. Simply, Huntingtons disease is dominant and you have a 50% chance of having the gene if only one parent is affected, but if both parents have the gene, there is a 100% chance of developing the disease and passing it on to your children. Although, depending on the number of repetitions of the affected DNA strand, Huntingtons can skip generations. Huntingtons disease is independent of gender and typically affects Caucasians more than those of Asian or African descent. After contracting the disease, symptoms usually include behavioral disturbances such as mood swings, restlessness, paranoia, and psychosis. Huntingtons disease also affects coordination, causing abnormal movements such as jerking, walking with unsteady gait, speech impairment, rigidity, slow movements, and tremors. As the disease progresses the cognitive capabilities of a person decline. Dementia, disorientation, anxiety, loss of judgment/memory, difficulty organizing, inability to start a task or conversation, lack of flexibility, the tendency to get stuck on a thought/action, outbursts, clumsiness, lack of awareness of one's own behaviors and abilities, difficulty focusing, slowness in processing thoughts, and difficulty learning new information are all common. There are three ways of testing for Huntingtons depending on what stage of life one is in. Pre-natal testing includes amniocentesis to determine if a baby carries the gene. People who are at risk but have not yet developed symptoms, called pre-symptomatic testing, can be lab-tested to identify Huntingtons. If one shows signs and symptoms of Huntingtons, a confirmatory test can be performed to determine if someone actually has inherited the disease. Neurological and psychological tests or brain imaging can also be conducted. Unfortunately there is no cure for Huntingtons disease but medication can be taken to reduce symptoms. Psychotherapy and occupational therapy might be needed as the disease progresses. Huntingtons symptoms get worse as one ages, which may eventually require full-time assistance and care. Though with proper maintenance, this disease can be managed to ensure a happy life.

Works Cited Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "Huntington Disease." PubMed Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 May 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001775/>. "Huntington's Disease." Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. Alzheimer's Association, 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <https://www.alz.org/dementia/huntingtons-disease-symptoms.asp>. "Huntington's Disease." Definition. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 5 May 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtonsdisease/basics/definition/con-20030685>. "Huntington's Disease." Help Guide. N.p., June 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.helpguide.org/elder/huntingtons_disease.htm>. "Huntington's Disease Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment - MedicineNet." MedicineNet. MedicineNet, Inc, 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.medicinenet.com/huntington_disease/article.htm>.