Huntington's+Disease-+Taylor+B

Huntington’s Disease **Description: ** Huntington’s Disease is a brain disorder that affects the ability to think, talk, and more. It destroys cells in the basal ganglia (part of the brain that controls movement, emotion, and cognitive ability). This disease is caused by a mutation in a gene on chromosome 4. People with Huntington’s Disease have an abnormally high number of CAG triplets (about 40 or more). The disease gets worse over time.

**Inheritance: ** Huntington’s Disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.

**Pedigree: **

**Symptoms: ** Huntington’s Disease affects the part of the brain that controls thinking, emotions, and movement. Poor memory, depression, mood swings, lack of coordination, twitching (or other uncontrolled movements), and difficulty walking, speaking, or swallowing.

**Diagnosis: ** During pregnancy, a woman can have tests done to determine if the unborn child has the disease. Or, after the child is born, doctors can do some neurological and psychological tests to identify the disease.

**Treatment: ** Treatments don’t slow the progression of the disease, they help make the patient more comfortable. Medications reduce the feelings of depression and anxiety. Physical or speech therapy helps them lead more normal lives.

**Interesting Facts: ** media type="custom" key="9659250" The disease was named for Dr. George Huntingon, who first described it in 1872. In the U.S., about 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington’s Disease.

The support groups for Huntington’s Disease are: the Hereditary Disease Foundation, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Support Groups: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times','serif'; line-height: 115%;">[]
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Sources: **

[]

[]
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Pictures: **