Huntington's Disease Therapy

Huntington's disease is an inherited degenerative brain disorder affecting people of all races, ages and ethnic backgrounds. According to NeurologyChannel.com, the most common age at which this deadly disease is contracted is from 30 to 50 years old. Patients can live with the disease in remission for 10 to 25 years. Those affected in their younger years see a faster progression and a shorter life-span prognosis.

Therapy

• Medications and special diets can help Huntington victims live calmer and less unpleasant lives. Commonly medications include antipsychotics to help control outbursts, hallucinations and delusional behavior. Antidepressants may be prescribed for obsessive-compulsive behavior common with this disease, or for depression. Botulinum toxin is helpful in controlling jaw clenching and dystonia, or involuntary muscle movement. Tranquilizers may help with anxiety, and mood stabilizers with bipolar disorder. These medications can all relieve other symptoms, such as hyper excitability or fatigue, and are usually given in a small dose.

  Diet is important in controlling energy and internal functions. It is very important that a Huntington's patient eat much smaller pieces of food to avoid choking, as they can have difficulty swallowing. Water intake should be monitored to avoid constipation and dehydration.

Symptoms

• Symptoms can include the development of tics, excessive clumsiness, slurred speech, jaw clenching, difficulty swallowing, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, difficulty answering a question, depression, hostility, lethargy, paranoia, hallucinations and delusions.

Heredity Factor

• According to HelpGuide.org, a child has a 50 percent chance of developing Huntington's disease if a parent has the affected gene. It does not skip a generation, so if a child of a diagnosed parent does not develop the disease, that child's offspring will not inherit the gene.

Considerations

• There is no cure that will stop or slow the progression of the toxic Huntington protein, but according to ScienceDaily.com, scientists are working on a promising gene therapy that might prove useful in controlling the mutant DNA strand.

Support

• If you or a family member have been diagnosed with Huntington's, there are many support groups available to you. One such organization is the Huntington's Disease Society of America. Its website, HDSA.org, offers links to many chapters nationally and internationally, as well as caregiver information, group events and opportunities to financially support research efforts.