Huntington's Disease Symptoms Child

Huntington's disease is a hereditary disease that causes the brain's nerve cells to die over a period of time. Most commonly, the disease affects adults. However, about 10 percent of all Huntington's disease sufferers are individuals under the age of 20. The symptoms of juvenile Huntington's disease are difficult to detect at first, but become more prominent over time. In general, the earlier symptoms appear, the fast the disease will progress. There is no cure for Huntington's disease; however, medications may reduce symptoms.

Early Symptoms

• Many children with juvenile Huntington's disease do not display any prominent symptoms for the first few years of their life. The first symptoms of Huntington's disease often appear during the early school years and include worsening handwriting and problems with learning new skills. Also, children with Huntington's may become more clumsy and move slower as time goes by. Some may experience tremors or muscle twitching.

Changes

• Parents of children with Huntington's disease have noted that many symptoms of juvenile Huntington's disease involve changes. Children with this disease may have noticeable personality changes. Also, they may display new and different behaviors. These children may experience changes in speech and language ability.

Dementia

• Huntington's disease causes dementia. Dementia is the slow, steady loss of mental functioning. Dementia may cause personality changes and frustration. Children will still attempt to do activities they were once able to do before the disease and will become upset when they are unable to complete these activities.

Movement Problems and Seizures

• Juvenile Huntington's disease causes children to experience movement problems. Neurological damage causes problems such as difficulty swallowing, difficulty speaking and muscle stiffness.

  About 30 percent of all children with Huntington's disease experience seizures on a regular basis. These seizures are usually generalized tonic-clonic seizures that cause the child to lose consciousness.

Treatment

• According to the Huntington's Association, medication and other treatments cannot slow down the progression of Huntington's disease. Thus, the goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. Some treatments that may be beneficial are occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. Some medications may be used to loosen muscle tightness and reduce spasms.