Huntington's Disease Essay

Huntington’s disease is a genetic condition that is inheritable from parent to child. The

unfortunate part about Huntington’s is that most people do not begin developing symptoms until

they are about middle aged, typically after having kids(NIL). Huntington’s is caused by a defect

on the fourth chromosome which leads to a portion of DNA called CAG to repeat between 36

and 120 times as opposed to the normal replication of a healthy person which repeats 10 to 28

times(NCBI). By repeating this DNA an abnormal amount of times, it causes the holder of the

disease’s brain cells to degenerate. The degeneration of the brain cells can cause to a variety of

symptoms that help doctors to diagnose Huntington’s. Some of the symptoms of Huntington’s

that are expressed are in behavioral changes, unusual movements, and dementia. Some of the

behavioral changes are due to the loss of brain cells; they include hallucinations, paranoia, and

psychosis. Abnormal movements are also common because the brain is directly associated with

the nervous system that effects movements. Huntington’s patients often have an unsteady gait,

facial twitches, and chorea which is an uncontrollable tremor or shaking. Finally, the dementia

which gets progressively worse as the disease advances. Signs of dementia include memory loss,

disorientation, speech impediments, and lack of judgment. Doctors can also use advanced scans

like CT, MRI, or PET scans of the brain to look for degeneration of the brain cells which also

indicates Huntington’s disease (NIL).

Huntington’s disease is only acquired through inheriting the gene. If one parent has

Huntington’s disease, the child has a 50 percent chance of developing the disease. Because the

gen...

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...ey have today. Because of this, symptoms like chorea and psychosis may be out of control

which could leader to death quicker. Today, there is an abundance of ongoing research being

done to search for more treatments and a cure to Huntington’s disease. Clinical trials are being

conducted to test new drugs that can help patients with Huntington’s. One of these trials involves

a drug called creatine which prevents brain cells from shrinking. It is currently being tested of

Huntington’s patients and has been showing some positive results (HDSA). Personally, if I was

facing living with Huntington’s disease, I would likely join a support group to cope with the

emotional and psychological effects of the disease. I would also be willing to apply myself for a

clinical trial, in hopes to help the medical field one day find a cure for this devastating disease.