Huntington Disease

           Huntington disease also known as chorea maior is a neurological disorder that affects the brain, by causing special nerve cells in the brain to die away.  Huntington disease was discovered by George Huntington in the 1860's. .  The symptoms for those diagnosed begin in steps. Step 1: They have mood swings, are irritable, depressed, or angry. Step 2: The mind begins to suffer: trouble remembering things, trouble driving, and making decisions. Step 3: Uncontrolled movements, body parts jerking, slurring of words, and soon the disability of walking.

The reason why the neurological nerves in the brain begin to degenerate is because the Huntington disease gene programs them to die away after a certain time. Most people with the disease begin to notice the symptoms by 25. The disease is Autosomal Dominant; the gene encoding for Huntington disease is (Htt). The chromosome that is altered by this disease is chromosome 4. One can be tested of diagnosis by taking a neurological exam and physical exam. You can also take a blood test to see a protein that is produced by the disease in the blood. This disease is a terminal illness, which means it is very hard to cure. There are many treatments such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, tranquillizers, and Mood stabilizers, that significantly help the patient with reducing symptoms to a minimum.

There is no real prevention for this disease because it is a part of a person’s genetic makeup. There has been a lot of research about this disease, and I think they are very close to finding a cure. Around 15,000 Americans suffer from this disease, and even though it may seem as an insignificant number, many scientists and physicians have researched thoroughly.

Huntington Medical Foundation:  http://www.huntingtonmedical.com/

Bibliography: http://www.neurologychannel.com/huntingtons/treatment.shtml

http://www.medicinenet.com/huntington_disease/article.htm#intro

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm