1. Huntington disease
By: Dennise Evans

2. Common Name or Scientific name
Huntington disease and or Huntington Chorea

3. Cause?
Huntington's disease is caused by a genetic defect on chromosome
The defect causes a part of DNA, called a CAG repeat, to occur many more times than it is supposed to
. Normally, this section of DNA is repeated 10 to 28 times. But in persons with Huntington's disease, it is repeated 36 to 120 times.

4. Transmitted
As the gene is passed down through families, the number of repeats tends to get larger.
The larger the number of repeats, the greater your chance of developing symptoms at an earlier age.
Therefore, as the disease is passed along in families, symptoms develop at younger and younger ages.

5. Targeted population There are two forms of Huntington's disease.
The most common is adult-onset Huntington's disease. Persons with this form usually develop symptoms in their mid-30s and 40s.
An early-onset form of Huntington's disease accounts for a small number of cases and begins in childhood or adolescence

6. adult-onset Huntington's disease
early-onset form of Huntington's disease

7. CNS/PNS effect the motor neurons in the brain,
jerky, parkinsonism like movement, which in late stages becomes detrimental to physical health.
sufferers are killed by secondary infections
pneumonia or get heart attacks as a result of hypertension
Huntington's also causes changes in personality, including depression and dementia.

8. Area of the brain most damaged in early Huntington's disease – striatum (shown in purple)

9. Symptoms
Behavior changes may occur before movement problems, and can include:
Behavioral disturbances
Hallucinations
Irritability
Moodiness
Restlessness or fidgeting
Paranoia
Psychosis
Abnormal and unusual
movements include
Facial movements, including grimaces
Head turning to shift eye position
Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts
Slow, uncontrolled movements
Unsteady gait
Dementia that slowly gets worse, including:
Disorientation or confusion
Loss of judgment
Loss of memory
Personality changes
Speech changes

10. Prognosis
Huntington's disease causes disability that gets worse over time. Persons with this disease usually die within 15 to 20 years. The cause of death is often infection, although suicide is also common.
It is important to realize that the disease affects everyone differently. The number of CAG repeats may determine the severity of symptoms.
Persons with few repeats may have mild abnormal movements later in life and slow disease progression, while those with a large number of repeats may be severely affected at a young age.

11. Prognosis

12. Cure?
There is no cure for Huntington's disease, and there is no known way to stop the disease from getting worse.
Dopamine blockers may help reduce abnormal behaviors and 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

14. Woody Guthrie 1972, was a storyteller through song
His work ranged from social commentaries about the working conditions of migrant workers and the urban poor to ballads and children’s songs.
“very man, woman and child has within them the power to make a difference.”

15. Woody Guthrie In 1967, Woody Guthrie, lost his battle with HD
He was just 55 years old
At the time, little was known about the disease.
Marjorie Guthrie convinced, President Jimmy Carter to form a Commission to study neurological diseases, and HD.
Since that time, research has progressed rapidly
In 2004, HD formed a pipeline for drug discovery that begins in the laboratory with basic science.

16. “Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.”
Huntington's disease Society of America
“Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.”

17. The Society is a National, voluntary health organization
dedicated to improving the lives of people with Huntington's disease and their families.
Promote support research, and medical efforts to eradicate Huntington's disease.
Educate the public and health professionals about Huntington's disease.

18. Cited
"Woody Guthrie." Woody Guthrie. Woody Guthrie Publications, n.d. Web. < htm>.
" ." Huntington's Disease Society of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar <