Huntington’s Disease Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Huntington disease or Huntington’s chorea is a rare disease caused by a genetic disorder that causes progressive brain damage.
This condition will affect the sufferer’s physical ability to move and reduce the ability to think (cognitive).
People with Huntington’s disease can also experience psychiatric or mental disorders.
Huntington’s disease generally only shows symptoms when sufferers are 30–50 years old.
Huntington’s disease that develops before the age of 20 is called juvenile Huntington’s disease. The symptoms are somewhat different and the disease can progress more quickly.
Huntington Symptom
Although Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder, the symptoms are not visible from birth.
Generally, symptoms of Huntington’s disease appear when sufferers are aged 30 years and over. Because this disease causes brain damage, the symptoms can vary, including:
- Impaired memory and difficulty making certain judgments
- Impaired balance and frequent uncontrollable body movements
- Speech and swallowing disorders
- Personality disorders, depression, easily anxious
Huntington’s disease is progressive. The longer, the wider the brain damage that occurs.
Often people with this disease in the long term will need full assistance from other people to be able to carry out daily activities.
In the advanced stages, people with Huntington’s disease will lie in bed a lot and have difficulty swallowing food so that they lose weight, become malnourished, and easily choke.
This is what causes sufferers to be very susceptible to severe infections that can result in death.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of juvenile Huntington’s disease in younger people may vary slightly, including:
- Changes in behavior
- Focus difficulty
- Rapid and significant decline in overall school performance
- Behavioral problems
- Physical changes
- Contracted and stiff muscles that affect gait (especially in young children)
- Tremors or slight uncontrolled movements
- Falls often
- seizures
Huntington Reason
Chorea disease–another name for Huntington’s disease–is caused by a gene abnormality on chromosome number 4. Under normal circumstances, the gene produces a protein called Huntingtin.
However, in Huntington’s disease, the production of these proteins is excessive and they are larger than they should be. This protein then accumulates in the brain and damages brain cells.
Huntington’s disease is a genetic disease that is passed from parents to children.
If one parent has this disease, there is a 50 percent chance that their child will experience the same thing.
Huntington Risk Factors
Chorea disease is a genetic disease. That is why, those who are at risk of suffering from this disease are those who have parents with Huntington’s disease.
Huntington Diagnosis
In the early stages, the doctor will examine the patient and explore whether there is a history of Huntington’s disease in the family. This examination is carried out by a neurologist.
Several checks are also carried out to check:
- Motor skills (muscle strength, muscle contractions, reflexes)
- Sensory (sight, hearing, touch)
- Neuropsychology (memory, language function)
- Psychiatric and psychiatric evaluation (behavior patterns, ability to cope with problems)
To see brain damage, a CT scan or MRI of the brain is needed.
Furthermore, to ascertain whether brain damage is caused by Huntington’s disease, a gene examination will be carried out.
Huntington Treatment
Huntington’s treatment does not aim to get rid of the disease, because this disease cannot be cured. However, treatment aims to overcome complaints due to nerve disorders that occur.
To deal with emotional disturbances, anxiety or depression experienced, antidepressant drugs and antipsychotic drugs can be given, as long as they are supervised by a doctor.
If there are uncontrolled movements, a type of anti-seizure drug will be given by the doctor to control the symptoms.
To overcome swallowing disorders, speech disorders, and walking disorders, training and medical rehabilitation are necessary.
Huntington Prevention
Until now, there is no action that can prevent the occurrence of Huntington’s disease. If one of the husband and wife has Huntington’s disease, you should think carefully about plans to have children.
The reason is, there is a possibility of up to 50 percent that the offspring will experience the disease as well.
Huntington Complications
After the symptoms of chorea disease appear, the sufferer’s abilities will begin to deteriorate over time.
Some of the complications that can arise from this disease are:
- Deep depression
- Pneumonia or other infection
- Injuries from falls
- Malnutrition due to the inability to swallow
- Death
When to See a Doctor?
You should consult a doctor if:
- Has symptoms like Huntington’s disease and there is indeed a hereditary history of the disease in the family
- Have a parent with Huntington’s disease and want to see if you have it too
- Have a history of Huntington’s disease and you are planning a pregnancy