HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE (HD) By: Jerika Adams-Harrison April 5, 2013

How does a person inherit HD disorder ?  Huntington’s disease is passed down through families.  HD is an autosomal dominant which means that anyone who inherits the faulty gene will eventually get the HD disease.  Also it means that this gene must be heterozygous at all times.  Common in people of Western European

Possible genotypes of parents ?  Hh is the genotypes of the parents because if it was (HH) homozygous child will probably die soon after birth.

Statistics  A person with HD has a 50% chance to passing it off to their offspring.  Based on Huntington's disease statistics, it is estimated that the disorder affects about 30,000 people in the United States alone, and at least 150,000 others have a 50 percent risk of developing Huntington's disease at some point. Other statistics indicate that people with the most common form of Huntington's disease generally live 15 to 25 years after the onset of the disorder.

Cause of HD  HD is caused by a change in a protein gene called Huntington in chromosome #4. The average person's coding region of this DNA is "CAG". This DNA is repeated times but people with HD has a higher number of "CAG" which disrupts the protein gene and causes cells to die.  It causes the breakdown in nerve cells in the brain.

Symptoms of HD  Poor memory  Depression/ mood swings  Twitching/uncontrolled movement  Difficult with speaking, walking, and swallowing  Swallowing problems which can cause pneumonia

How HD can be treated  Persons with this disease usually die within 15 to 20 years.  There is no cure  goal of treatment is to slow down the symptoms  Dopamine blockers may help reduce abnormal behaviors and movements.  Drugs such as amantadine and tetrabenazine are used to try to control extra movements.  There has been some evidence to suggest that co- enzyme Q10 may also help slow down the course of the disease, but it is not conclusive.

How can the disease be diagnosed?  Sample fluids when the women is pregnant  sample of fetal cells from the placenta  after the baby is born doctors can take neurological and physiological tests. But these tests won't tell when the person will get sick.