Huntington's

Medical doctors will diagnose individuals with Huntington’s disease if they have a genetic defect on their fourth chromosome. It is this defect that causes Huntington’s disease, a genetic and degenerative disease. As this disease is passed down in a hereditary manner, the chances of developing Huntington’s disease increase. Medical doctors have documented cases of this disease and have narrowed the symptoms to unusual movement, loss of memory and change in behavior. Those who have Huntington’s disease will suffer any number of  symptoms within these broad categories which will limit their daily function and impair their cognitive and mobile abilities.

-Memory Loss- The medical reason for the loss of memory in Huntington’s disease patients is that the disease works to break down the nerve cells in the brain, making function impaired. Medical doctors report that some patients with Huntington’s disease will be unable to recognize their own family members or swallow.

-Confusion- Patients with Huntington’s disease may be unable to recognize where there are who they are with. The medical reason for this is because their learning and memory functions have become impaired and they are unable to retain memory or learn new things.

-Behavior-The medical condition that this disease creates cause some patients to experience extreme behavioral changes. These symptoms can include hallucinations and mood swings. Medical doctors have reported that patients with Huntington’s disease can suffer anyone of these symptoms and there is no cure for the disease, only medical drugs to combat the negative side effects that will continue to progress.
-Movement and Speech- Huntington’s disease may also cause impairment of mobility and also speech.

Huntington’s disease can affect adults and children. Medical reports suggest that this disease will affect more adults than children or those in their teens. If you are wondering whether or not you could have Huntington’s disease, the medical diagnosis is made only to those who carry the gene. If a parent carries the gene and has a child that child will have a fifty percent chance of getting Huntington’s disease. If one of your parents does carry the defect on their fourth chromosome, a medical test can be conducted to see if you will develop the disease as well.

Unfortunately, there is no medical cure yet developed for this disease. Those who suffer with this disease are able to gain access to several treatments that will help alleviate or try to help them manage the effects. Since the medical symptoms reported that are associated with disease, vary from person to person, the medical treatment must also vary. Some patients may suffer from behavioral changes or just movement impairment. Depending on the symptoms, doctors may prescribe a host of drugs to help them cope and try to live more comfortably since there is no cure. The drugs used for patients with Huntington’s disease are prescribed in an attempt to just slow the degenerative process of the disease. More research is being conducted in order to develop a cure for those suffering through this genetic disease.