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Huntington's disease . By Mitchell Weidel , Danny, Devin O’Connor, and Martin Anumba. What is it?.
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Huntington's disease By Mitchell Weidel, Danny, Devin O’Connor, and Martin Anumba
What is it? Huntington's disease is a disease that affects many different aspects of daily life. This disease breaks down nerve cells in the brain causing many problems. It is a neurodegenerative disease which destroys the individuals motor skills along with their ability to communucate.
Symptoms Huntington's disease causes many problems specifically with muscles some of these include: * jerking movements (chorea) * Muscle contractions (dystonia) * Slow, uncoordinated movements * Slow or abnormal eye movements * Bad posture and balance * Difficulty with speech * Difficulty swallowing
How to get this? Huntington's disease is a sex linked trait, which is inherited from the parents, and can sometimes be hid until around the age of 40 or 50.
Different types The most common type of Huntington's disease develops around the age of 40 or 50. However, juvenile Huntington's disease develops before the age of 20.
Treatments Medications are available to help manage the symptoms of Huntington's disease, but treatments can't prevent the physical, mental and behavioral problems from getting worse. Although, a group called HDDW (Huntington's disease drug works) does believe that with physical therapy, and medication it can be treated
Support groups The biggest support group for Huntington's disease is Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA) which is a non-profit organization which is made to help people with Huntington's disease throughout the nation.
Question and Answer Question: 19 year old Gloria is married to 21 year old Robert, they are looking to have a kid, however Gloria’s grandfather died at 43 after being diagnosed with Huntington's disease. However, Gloria’s father and mother (40 and 39) are not showing signs of Huntington's disease. Is it okay to go ahead and have a child?
Question and Answer Answer: We feel Gloria should at the very least wait a couple of years, not only because they are young to have a kid, but in a couple of years they will have a better idea if her father has Huntington's disease and will be more able to decide if its worth it. If her father does have it Gloria has a 50% chance of having it, and if she is recessive then her child has a 25% chance of having Huntington’s Disease.
Sources http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/huntingtons-disease/DS00401 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/huntingtons-disease/DS00401/DSECTION=symptoms http://hdsa-mi.org/default.aspx