HD is caused by a mutation in the gene for a protein called huntingtin. The defect causes the building blocks of DNA called cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) to repeat many more times than they normally do. Most people have fewer than 27 CAG repeats in their HD gene, so they are not at risk for the disease.
Huntington's disease is caused by an inherited difference in a single gene. Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder, which means that a person needs only one copy of the nontypical gene to develop the disorder.
Although not directly related to HD, stress is nevertheless related to the progression of the disease because it adds to the neurodegeneration that is already taking place. Chronic stress can alter nerve cells, brain structure, and brain function.
Who does Huntington's disease (HD) affect? Although anyone can develop HD, it tends to run in people of European descent (having family members who came from Europe). But the main factor is whether you have a parent with HD. If you do, you have a 50% chance of also having the disease.
Of these, CAG repeat length in the huntingtin gene is the most important risk factor. For the progression of HD: genetic, demographic, past medical/clinical and environmental risk factors have been studied. Of these factors, genetic factors appear to play the most important role in the progression of HD.
Can Huntington's disease be prevented or avoided? Huntington's disease is a genetic disorder. It cannot be prevented or avoided.
Prevention of Huntington's disease
Because Huntington's is a genetic disease, you can't do anything to prevent it if you have inherited it. If you have a history of Huntington's disease in your family, you may wish to have genetic counseling before having children of your own.
In around 3% of cases of Huntington's disease, there's no obvious family history of the condition. This could be because relatives with the condition died before they were diagnosed with it. In rare cases, it's due to a new fault in the gene that causes Huntington's disease.
It affects males and females equally and crosses all ethnic and racial boundaries. Typically, symptoms begin between age 30 and 55. Children of parents with Huntington's disease have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the HD gene.
Early symptoms
The first symptoms of Huntington's disease often include: difficulty concentrating. memory lapses. depression – including low mood, a lack of interest in things, and feelings of hopelessness.
For individuals who are at risk of carrying the HD gene, testing can be performed before symptoms occur. Information from brain scans such as computed tomography (CT), electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be reviewed as part of the diagnosis.
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive brain disorder caused by a defective gene. This disease causes changes in the central area of the brain, which affect movement, mood and thinking skills.
The bottom line. Being physically and mentally active in life is good for everyone, and particularly for those at risk of developing HD, because it might affect symptom onset.
The overall presentation of HD was considered to be initially mild by most families in this study, but progression in motor and/or behavior symptoms eventually occurred in all 30 subjects evaluated more than once.
Although no disease-modifying therapies currently exist to slow or halt the progression of Huntington's disease, many new types of treatment are under investigation that may offer hope for the future.
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that usually starts in mid-adult life. The clinical disease progresses to death over an average of 20 years.
Both men and women can get it. If a parent has the Huntington's disease gene, there's a: 1 in 2 (50%) chance of each of their children developing the condition – affected children are also able to pass the gene to any children they have.
As I mentioned before, it is possible to get HD even if your parents don't have it. If your parent passes away before showing symptoms of HD, you might not know whether they had a broken HD gene.
Huntington's disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. The probability of each offspring inheriting an affected gene is 50%. Inheritance is independent of gender.
Onset occurring ≤20 years is classified arbitrarily as juvenile-onset HD (JHD). The youngest symptomatic child documented had an age of onset of 18 months,3 with other children developing symptoms in their teens, meaning that some individuals with JHD may now be in their twenties.
Research has indicated that in Huntington's disease the person's cognitive processes are also affected and get progressively worse over the years with some people going onto develop dementia in the later stages of Huntington's.
o How many Australians have Huntington's disease? The best available published evidence of relevance to Australia suggests a prevalence rate of 8.4 per 100,000 people. This indicates that with a current population of 25.7 million people in Australia1, there is currently around 2,160 people with a diagnosis of HD.
Foods to avoid for Huntington's disease
These foods include: Raw fruits. Stringy vegetables. Tough, crusty breads.
Choose soft, easy-to-chew and easy-to-swallow foods (aim for the consistency of porridge). Use plenty of sauces and gravies to help make main meals easier to swallow. Add plenty of custards, ice-cream and cream to desserts. Avoid hard foods such as nuts and lollies.