Huntington's disease - NHS

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. Skiptomaincontent Home HealthAtoZ Backto HealthAtoZ Overview - Huntington'sdisease Contents Overview Symptoms Tests Treatmentandsupport Huntington'sdiseaseisaconditionthatstopspartsofthebrainworkingproperlyovertime.It'spassedon(inherited)fromaperson'sparents.Itgetsgraduallyworseovertimeandisusuallyfatalafteraperiodofupto20years. SymptomsThesymptomsusuallystartat30to50yearsofage,butcanbeginmuchearlierorlater.SymptomsofHuntington'sdiseasecaninclude:difficultyconcentratingandmemorylapsesdepressionstumblingandclumsinessinvoluntaryjerkingorfidgetymovementsofthelimbsandbodymoodswingsandpersonalitychangesproblemsswallowing,speakingandbreathingdifficultymovingFull-timenursingcareisneededinthelaterstagesofthecondition.ReadmoreaboutthesymptomsofHuntington'sdisease. Howit'sinheritedHuntington'sdiseaseiscausedbyafaultygenethatresultsinpartsofthebrainbecominggraduallydamagedovertime.You'reusuallyonlyatriskofdevelopingitifoneofyourparentshasorhadit.Bothmenandwomencangetit.IfaparenthastheHuntington'sdiseasegene,there'sa:1in2(50%)chanceofeachoftheirchildrendevelopingthecondition–affectedchildrenarealsoabletopassthegenetoanychildrentheyhave1in2(50%)chanceofeachoftheirchildrenneverdevelopingthecondition–unaffectedchildrencan'tpasstheconditionontoanychildrentheyhaveVeryoccasionally,it'spossibletodevelopHuntington'sdiseasewithouthavingahistoryofitinyourfamily.Butthisisusuallyjustbecauseoneofyourparentswasneverdiagnosedwithit. WhentogetmedicaladviceSpeaktoyourGPforadviceif:you'reworriedyoumighthavesymptomsofHuntington'sdisease–especiallyifsomeoneinyourfamilyhasorhadityouhaveahistoryoftheconditioninyourfamilyandyouwanttofindoutifyouwillgetit,tooyouhaveahistoryoftheconditioninyourfamilyandyou'replanningapregnancyYourGPmayreferyoutoaspecialistforteststocheckforHuntington'sdisease. TreatmentandsupportThere'scurrentlynocureforHuntington'sdiseaseoranywaytostopitgettingworse.Buttreatmentandsupportcanhelpreducesomeoftheproblemsitcauses,suchas:medicinesfordepression,moodswingsandinvoluntarymovementsoccupationaltherapytohelpmakeeverydaytaskseasierspeechandlanguagetherapyforfeedingandcommunicationproblemsphysiotherapytohelpwithmovementandbalanceReadmoreabouttreatmentandsupportforHuntington'sdisease. FurtherinformationandadviceLivingwithHuntington'sdiseasecanbeverydistressingandfrustratingforthepersonwiththecondition,aswellastheirlovedonesandcarers.YoumayfindTheHuntington'sDiseaseAssociationausefulsourceofinformationandsupport.Theyoffer:informationaboutHuntington'sdiseaseaspecialistadvisoryservicelocalbranchesandsupportgroupsanonlineforum Video:Huntington'sdisease WatchthisvideoforadviceonHuntington'sdiseaseandtheimportanceofgettingtested. Medialastreviewed:1April2021 Mediareviewdue:1April2024 Pagelastreviewed:29March2021 Nextreviewdue:29March2024 Next : Symptoms