Also called: Also called: HD, Huntington's chorea
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away. People are born with the defective gene, but symptoms usually don't appear until middle age. Early symptoms of HD may include uncontrolled movements, clumsiness or balance problems. Later, HD can take away the ability to walk, talk or swallow. Some people stop recognizing family members. Others are aware of their environment and are able to express emotions.
If one of your parents has Huntington's disease, you have a 50-50 chance of getting it. A blood test can tell if you have the HD gene and will develop the disease. Genetic counseling can help you weigh the risks and benefits of taking the test.
There is no cure. Medicines can help manage some of the symptoms, but cannot slow down or stop the disease.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
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Genetics Home Reference: Huntington disease
(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=huntingtondisease
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Huntington's Disease: Hope through Research(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/detail_huntington.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/Enfermedad_de_Huntington.htm
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Huntington's Disease(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm
- Scientists Uncover New Weapon Against Huntington's(04/03/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82519.html
- Stages of Huntington's Disease (HD)(Huntington's Disease Society of America) - http://www.hdsa.org/living-with-huntingtons/family-care/stages-of-hd.html
- Symptoms, Findings, and Clinical Course of Huntington's Disease(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/hd/hd_sym.html
- Huntington's Disease: Medical Management(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/hd/hd_tre_mm.html
- Huntington's Disease(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/HuntingtonsDisease.htm
- Long Term Care(Huntington's Disease Society of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.hdsa.org/images/content/1/1/11284.pdf
- What Is Huntington Disease?(Dolan DNA Learning Center) - http://www.yourgenesyourhealth.org/hd/whatisit.htm
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Life and Death of a Neuron(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/ninds_neuron.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Huntington Disease(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Huntington+Disease%22
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Genetics Home Reference: Huntington disease(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=huntingtondisease
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Genetics Home Reference: Huntington disease-like syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=huntingtondiseaselikesyndrome
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Learning about Huntington's Disease(National Human Genome Research Institute) - http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10001215
- Article: New promises for manipulation of kynurenine pathway in cancer and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19236242&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Automatic detection of preclinical neurodegeneration: presymptomatic Huntington disease. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19188573&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The human premotor oculomotor brainstem system - can it help... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19187058&tool=MedlinePlus
- Huntington's Disease -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=huntington+disease[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Terms(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/glossary/
- Find a Neurologist(American Academy of Neurology) - http://www.thebrainmatters.org/index.cfm?key=1.2.2
- Huntington's Disease Society of America - http://www.hdsa.org/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
- We Move - http://www.wemove.org/
- Juvenile Huntington's Disease(Huntington's Disease Society of America) - Links to PDF - http://www.hdsa.org/living-with-huntingtons/family-care/juvenile-hd.html
- Degenerative Nerve Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/degenerativenervediseases.html
- Movement Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/movementdisorders.html
- Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
- Genetics/Birth Defects - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Huntington's Disease is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/