Huntington's Disease Essay

Huntington's disease is the degeneration, or breakdown, of neurons within the structures of the brain. The structures affected are responsible for thought, perception, emotions, and memory. The basal ganglia, which controls movement and coordination, is also affected by the disease.
Huntington's disease is usually developed between the ages of 30 and 50, but can still develop earlier or later depending on the person. Juvenile Huntington's disease is when it is developed in people under 20 years of age. This is an inherited disease, which mean it is passed on through family genes. This is an autosomal dominant condition; meaning that just one parent with the genes can pass it to the child. If the parent has a mutated gene, then there is a 50% chance of the disease being passed on to the child.
There are many symptoms and signs of Huntington's disease, all which can vary from person to person. The main areas affect by Huntington's is movement, cognition, and mood/behavior. With movement, the most common issue is called chorea. Chorea is an involuntary and sudden jerking movement. This often happens in the head, face, arms, and legs. As the symptom gradually worsens, it can become difficult to move around, feed/dress yourself, or hold things.
Chorea will eventually progress into dystonia.
For instance, there are many different types of therapists and therapies to make life easier for people with this disease. Psychotherapy can be helpful for developing coping mechanisms, managing behavioral problems, and creating communication among family members of the patient. A physiotherapist helps with exercise to help people balance and move more easily. An occupational therapist helps patients to adapt to life with the illness by providing easier access for everyday life activities. For example, rails can be added to the home to make moving around the house