Huntington’s disease By Colten Appleby Kristian Nee Nick Reynoso Please check the notes section for additional information Mrs. GM Period 8 2/8/11

Woody Guthrie Here is a short video on Woody Guthrie, a famous American musician who wrote famous songs such as “This Land is Your Land”. He suffered Huntington’s Disease in his early adult life. E-5F28-49C1-86BA- 36A797D21285&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Definition Taber’s Cyclopedia Medical Dictionary defines Huntington’s Chorea as “an inherited disease of the central nervous system which usually has its onset between 30 to 50 years of age. The patient has progressive dementia with bizarre involuntary movements characteristics of chorea. The disease slowly progressives and death is usually due to an intercurrent* infection.”

The Numbers It is estimated that 5 per 100,000 people of European ancestry have HD. The condition appears to be less common in other populations, such as African Americans. In United States alone, about 30,000 people have Huntington's disease; about 1 in every 10,000 people is thought to have the condition.

History American doctor George Huntington first described the disorder in It is a genetic defect on Chromosome #4.

Diagnosis and Tests Most important is an accurate medical history of the patient. Complete physical including neurological exam. Further testing includes Head Cat Scan, Head MRI scan, and PET scan of the brain which will show brain shrinkage. DNA marker studies are done to determine if you are the carrier of the disease.

Symptoms Uncoordinated movements Loss of muscle control Personality changes Loss of learning Dementia Slurred speech Swallowing and eating difficulties

Causes Huntington’s disease is a dominant gene, meaning you have it or you don’t. Huntington’s disease can not skip a generation like recessive genes can. If one of your parents has it and your other parent doesn’t have it you have a 50% chance of getting it. If you don’t have the gene and your spouse doesn’t have the gene, all of your child and grandchildren will be fine.

Treatment Treatment for HD is aimed at controlling symptons not curing the disease. At this moment in time there is no known cure for HD. The U.S. food and drug administration has approved Tetrabenazine (Xenazine). Tetrabenazine helps to reduce involuntary movements by increasing dopamine in the brain. This drug usually is given once a day to start, and may gradually increase to up to three times a day. Due to bad side affects physicians often prescribe the lowest possible dose. *

Treatment The treatment for Huntington's disease is the use of drugs such as: Antidepressants Antipsychotics Mood-stabilizers Botulinum toxins These will not cure Huntington's Disease but will slow or stop the jerking of limbs, mood swings, and depression.

"Huntington's Disease Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment on MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. Web. 07 Feb Lang, A. "Huntington's Disease: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 07 Feb Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Huntington's Disease - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. 8 May Web. 07 Feb The End Of Woody's Life: Looking Back At His Body Of Work. Discovery Education Web. 07 Feb "What Is Huntington’s Disease?" Science Museum London. Web. 07 Feb