Driving is not an impossible task for many individuals with HD. It takes an extra amount of effort and may be exhausting, since increased concentration is required by individuals in order to drive safely.
If you hold a driving licence and have symptoms caused by Huntington's disease, you're legally required to contact the DVLA. The DVLA will ask you for details of your doctor to seek further information. Many people are still allowed to drive, but this will be reviewed regularly.
About Huntington's Disease
Motor issues often include involuntary movements, difficulty with speech and swallowing, lack of coordination, and fatigue and weakness. Many cognitive functions become limited, such as memory, decision making, critical thinking, multitasking and concentration.
Persons with HD should engage in aerobic activities ideally for at least 150 minutes a week. Walking is a good aerobic exercise and still possible for the person in the middle stage of HD to perform. If available, stationary bikes are an excellent means of providing aerobic activity.
Other symptoms may include insomnia (having trouble sleeping), loss of energy, fatigue, and seizures. Eventually the person will need to stay in bed or in a wheelchair. Changes in thinking (cognitive changes) may include problems with attention or judgment and having difficulty solving problems or making decisions.
Weight loss can make symptoms worse and weaken the patient's immune system, making them more vulnerable to infections and other complications. Huntington's disease itself is not usually fatal, but it can lead to choking, pneumonia, or other infections that can lead to death.
Huntington's disease is a condition that stops parts of the brain working properly over time. It's passed on (inherited) from a person's parents. It gets gradually worse over time and is usually fatal after a period of up to 20 years.
People can start to show the symptoms of Huntington's disease at almost any age. Most will develop problems between the ages of 30 and 50. The condition gradually gets worse for around 10-25 years, until the person dies.
There is no cure for the disease, and there is a high rate of neuropsychiatric symptoms including depression, and aggressive behavior.
After Huntington's disease starts, a person's functional abilities gradually worsen over time. The rate of disease progression and duration varies. The time from the first symptoms to death is often about 10 to 30 years. Juvenile Huntington's disease usually results in death within 10 years after symptoms develop.
Huntington's strengthens the immune system during most fertile years allowing them to produce more offspring. Symptoms associated with Huntington's occur later in life, after peak reproductive age.
The most painful conditions in Huntington's, said Achterberg, are limb pain, headache, abdominal pain and fractures. “I think we should do more work in validation of pain tools, including observational pain instruments,” he said. “And for clinicians, I suggest you be especially aware of abdominal pain.”
When alcohol becomes a coping mechanism for Huntington's disease, that's when it becomes a problem. “With any neurodegenerative or medical disease, drinking a lot can certainly affect your balance and your gait,” says Dr. Oguh.
If you have Huntington disease, it is important to closely monitor you condition, and contact your healthcare provider if you notice any of the following symptoms: Increasing difficulty with motor tasks such as walking. Trouble swallowing. Mood changes, such as increasing symptoms of depression or feelings of suicide.
The range of disease duration was between 2 and 17 years, the oldest living to age 91.
The last symptoms in advanced stage Huntington's disease (HD) include immobility, inability to speak, and inability to eat without a feeding tube. People in this stage of the disease often require full-time skilled nursing care. The disease is usually fatal 15 to 20 years after symptoms begin.
Common end-of-life signals include significant weight loss, difficulty swallowing or breathing, recurrent aspiration pneumonia, and uncontrolled pain.
Stage 4: Early advanced stage
Typically lasting between nine and 21 years from disease onset, the early advanced stage is characterized by a need for full assistance in daily living. A person in this stage of Huntington's cannot live independently.
Huntington's Disease (HD) is not fatal in itself. People with HD have a shorter life expectancy and die of other life-threatening complications related to this disease. Pneumonia and heart disease are the two leading causes of death for people with HD.
The most common sleep problems reported by HD patients include insomnia, difficulties in falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Huntington's disease patients have a tendency to choke on food due to a lack of fine motor control (control of small muscles). They often experience enormous increases in appetite and sometimes trying to eat quickly to satisfy urgent hunger can lead to choking.