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| Huntington's Chorea |
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Review
Summary |
There are a wide range of reasons why people start to have some cognitive issues, ranging from the simple to the more complex. Many people, when they are under stress, start to have problems focusing and feel far less alert, while age may play a role in short and long term memory loss as well, because our body may start to produce less and less of the elements our brain needs to work properly.
However, there are other more serious issues, like Huntington's Chorea. Woody Guthrie, a rather notorious folk singer, is one of the most famous individuals to have this progressive and debilitating genetic disease. However, while many people have heard of it, most individuals have no idea what it actually is, what the symptoms are like or what its prognosis is, so let’s take a look and see.
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| Disease at a Glance |
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Huntington's Chorea is also often called Chorea major, or simply HD for short. It usually occurs in individuals after the age of 35, when they are in the prime of their life. This is a disease that is genetic, which means that it usually runs in families, so individuals often know if they are at risk for it. In recent years a test was developed that determines if an individual has the genetic marker for it or not. However, not all individuals who are at risk choose to have this test.
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| Disease in Focus |
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Huntington's Chorea is a progressive genetic neurological disorder, in which an individual will have to deal with both severe physical and cognitive issues, which become debilitating over time. In some cases the cognitive issues become obvious first, which is what happened with Woody Guthrie, who started to develop slurred speech and violent outbursts in the early stages of this disease.
Individuals with this condition exhibit a wide range of issues ranging from being very clumsy at first to later on exhibiting uncontrollable movements that severely compromise their quality of life. There are also other issues that are often associated with dementia, but which are also part of Huntington's Chorea, including severe memory loss, absentmindedness, moodiness and irritability, as well as withdrawing from the world.
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| Treatment |
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At this time there is no cure for Huntington's Chorea, but research is continuing to try to stop the wasting away of the nerve cells associated with this condition. There are some drug therapies that are being used to help ease the physical symptoms associated with this disease, and they have been helpful to some individuals. There are also medications used to address the psychological and cognitive issues that emerge with this disease, including: antidepressants and sedatives, as well as low doses of antipsychotics.
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| Positives |
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• Drug therapies may help ease some symptoms in some individuals
• Research is still underway
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| Negatives |
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• Progressive illness
• Results in debilitating physical and cognitive changes
• No cure at this time
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| Final Thoughts |
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Due to the genetic nature of Huntington's Chorea, most individuals who are at risk know it. Due to scientific advances, they may choose to be tested to see if they have the genetic marker for it or not. Statistics indicate that 7 in 100,000 people will get this disease. While there is no cure for it at this time, clinical research is underway, and there are some drug therapies available to help individuals manage the physical, psychological and cognitive issues associated with this disease.
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Editors Choice:
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Week
of: Tue Feb 02nd, 2010 |
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