Huntington's Disease

Huntington's Disease

The condition Huntington’s Disease got its name because it was
first described by George Huntington, a physician in New York, in 1872.
It use to be commonly known as Huntington’s Chorea - chorea being the
Greek word for dancing and   describing   the strange movements of the
sufferer.   Most people now refer to it as Huntington’s Disease or HD for
short.   The illness probably occurs all over the world, though it has not
been thoroughly researched in many places, particularly in
underdeveloped countries.

  The illness begins gradually, usually in one or the other following
ways: by   a change in usual behavior, for example, depression,
moodiness, unreasonable outbursts of anger out of character for the
individual, or by unusual jerky, fidgety movements and perhaps
unsteadiness of the hands or feet causing falls and a tendency to be
clumsy.   These are early signs.   They are mild and increase so slowly that
they may go unnoticed and it is only much   later, when looking back,
that relatives realize all has not been well for some years.

These changes are thought to come about because of a disturbance
of one of the chemical substances concerned in normal functioning of
the brain though it is not known exactly which chemical is involved.
Over the years the illness goes on getting   more severe, though the rate
at which it progresses varies from individual to individual.   However,
once it has started, it goes steadily on. The ungainly jerky movements,
over which the sufferer has no control, increase, causing falls and
making walking difficult. Speech usually becomes slurred and
swallowing difficult.   Some, though not all, will at times become
confused and forgetful, at other times angry and unreasonable and
possibly violent.  

Alternatively, some people become quite passive.   But the illness
has its ups and downs and some days the ungainly movements and
irritability are less.   This changing state is confusing and frustrating for
both...