Huntingtons Chorea

Question: Is there anyone else out there who has a family member with Huntington's Chorea Disease? Is there anyone else out there who has a family member with Huntington's Chorea Disease? If so, what state do you live in?

Answer: Hi. Yes I have HD in my family. I currently live in Cali but I'm originally from Syracuse, NY.

Question: probability to develop Huntington’s chorea? Huntington’s chorea is a fatal disease which usually develops during midlife. It is caused by a dominant allele. A phenotypically normal young male learns that his father has developed the disease. The probability that the young male will develop the disease is A. 25% B. 50% C. 75% D. 100% the father may have homozygous or heterozygous allele, and the phenotype of the moter is not stated, so I think the answer is B.

Answer: As you already know, it is an inherited disease via autosomal dominant manner. Offspring of an individual with a mutant allele have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease-causing allele. I came across some great websites. But, the best one that explains this: http//www.genetests.org/query?dz=hunti…

Question: Huntington's Chorea is an autosomal dominant condition? What is the chance, in terms of percentage, that some-one who is heterozygous for this condition will pass the disease on to their children?

Answer: 50%. they will pass on either the dominant Huntington's allele or the normal recessive allele.

Question: Are there any recent advancements for huntington's chorea/disease? Please provide links.

Answer: try this site: http://hddrugworks.org/ and this:(it is about Parkinsons but mentions Huntingtons disease. Taken from: http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextra… Coenzyme Q10 and Parkinson's disease: Low levels of natural coenzyme Q-10 have been observed in individuals with muscle-wasting diseases (conditions that result in decreased muscle size and efficiency). Therefore, coenzyme Q-10 is being studied as a possible treatment for conditions, such as Parkinson disease (PD), that affect muscle function. Coenzyme Q-10 possible energy-enhancing effects may prevent the deterioration of muscle activity. Additionally, in animal and human studies, increasing amounts of coenzyme Q-10 also seemed to increase levels of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages from nerve cells to other cells. Individuals with PD generally have low dopamine levels, so raising dopamine may relieve their PD symptoms. Additionally, coenzyme Q-10 may reduce other factors, such as inflammation and damage by oxygen free radicals, that may cause or worsen PD. Studies are less conclusive, however, for coenzyme Q-10 possible effectiveness for other muscle-wasting conditions such as HUNTINGTON DISEASE and muscular dystrophy. While these and similar conditions may have a connection to low coenzyme Q-10 levels, it is not known if the lowered levels of coenzyme Q-10 contribute to the conditions or result from them. Much more research is needed in these areas. Results of the first placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial of the compound coenzyme Q10 suggest that it can slow down disease progression in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. While the findings must be confirmed in a larger study, they provide hope that coenzyme Q10 may ultimately provide a new way of treating Parkinson's disease. The phase II study, led by Clifford Shults, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, looked at a total of 80 Parkinson's disease patients at 10 centers across the U.S. to determine whether coenzyme Q10 is safe and whether it can slow down the rate of functional decline. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and appears in the October 15, 2002 issue of the Archives of Neurology. "This trial suggests that coenzyme Q10 can slow the rate of deterioration in Parkinson's disease," says Dr. Shults. "However, before the compound is used widely, the results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients." The researchers believe that coenzyme Q10 works by improving the function of mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' which produce energy in cells. Coenzyme Q10 is an important link in the chain of chemical reactions which produces this energy. It's also a potent antioxidant - a chemical that "mops up" harmful free radicals generated during normal metabolism. Previous studies carried out by Dr. Shults, Richard Haas, M.D., of UCSD and Flint Beal, M.D., of Cornell University have shown that coenzyme Q10 levels in mitochondria in Parkinson's disease patients are reduced and that mitochondrial function in these patients is impaired. Animal studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 can protect the area of the brain which is damaged in Parkinson's disease. Dr. Shults and his colleagues also conducted a pilot study with Parkinson's disease patients which showed that consumption of up to 800 mg/day of coenzyme Q10 was well tolerated and significantly increased the level of coenzyme Q10 in the bloodstream. However, in terms of Parkinson's disease, prevention is clearly the best option. The single best thing one can do is avoid pesticide and insecticide exposure. Go Top

Question: what is huntington's chorea? What is huntington's chorea? can someone give me a brief description and point me to a good site which covers it in detail. please don't just say wikipedia because i know it. i'm only 13 so please not tooo confusing. its for a presentation that must last for 3-5 minutes. Thx

Answer: Ok, well the last response was probably way too much for you to handle, so I'll try and simplify this complex disorder. Huntington's chorea is a manifestation of Huntington disease, which is itself caused by atrophy of 2 structures in the brain, called the caudate and putamen. Now, these structures are responsible for motor inhibition, which basically suppresses unwanted movement that would occur with all of us if we did not have a caudate and putamen. The chorea is observed as involuntary and ballistic movements that is without any clear purpose. "Chorea" means "dance", and is called such because I guess someone thought that the Huntington-patient's gait somewhat resembled a dance -- I've seen it, and it's kind of like if all your movements were exaggerated and you weren't able to stop your limbs from overshooting where they were going. These involuntary movements are often incorporated into the patient's normal movements in an attempt to obscure the disease. Other symptoms (besides chorea) include changes in personality, which may include irritability, suspiciousness, and impulsive or eccentric behavior. Huntington disease is caused by an autosomal-dominant triplet-repeat on chromosome 4, and is not manifest until about 30-40 years of age. There is currently no cure, though medications can help manage the symptoms.

Question: What is the chance(%) of someone who is heterzygous for Huntington's Chorea passing the disease on to a child?

Answer: It is an autosomal (meaning it is not on a sex chromosome) dominant disorder, so a heterozygote (say Hh) has a 50% chance passing it on to a child.

Question: Can you die from Huntington's Chorea?

Answer: ofcourse you can I have worked with several older people that have had it,, eventally pople require a feeding tube because they cannot remain still to eat..its actully very sad to see.

Question: Huntington's chorea. what is it? can anyone explain (very Simply) what this is and what it does please? i tried searching on the internet, and when i went on the website(s) they all come up with very scientific words and stuff. i don't get any of it, and this is for my coursework at school. NO offensive answers please. Thanks in advance. =D

Answer: "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. (Read more) " http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-… Hope this helps. Medlineplus is good. So is the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hunting…

Question: Huntington's Chorea? Has anyone ever had a family member with this disease and if so have you gotten tested for it? My mother has it and I am faced with the descion to get tested or just live life not knowing...I am in despair...I am scared and would like to know how to cope. Thanks..... have you had a family member with this disease?

Answer: The choice is not as simple as the two previous posters suggest, and it is *your* decision as to whether or not to get tested. The decision you're faced with is a true dilemma, so learn as much as possible about yourself and consider how your life might change in knowing one way or the other. Before you even consider requesting genetic testing, it can't hurt to first make an appointment with a genetic counselor. You will learn about the psychological burden (called "survivor's guilt") that accompanies knowing you *don't* have the gene, especially considering the fact your mother does. All I'm suggesting is that you first learn as much as you can about how *you* would cope with a test result. With the proper amount of support, information, and knowledge, the choice will crystallize and you will be better able to deal with the decision you choose. At this point, I think you will do yourself a huge favor by just giving yourself some time.

Question: I'm writing a paper on HUNTINGTON'S CHOREA (DISEASE) if anyone has expierience or has known someone with .... if anyone can tell me a story or what it was like please do so have a nice day and thankyou

Answer: Hi Casey, You could try contacting a Huntington's patient group. The link below has a forum under the community heading. Just a heads up though: Huntington's is a horrible, heartbreaking, and universally fatal disease. You might want to keep that in mind when, and if, you actually communicate with patients and families. "Have a nice day" seems a pretty lightweight offering to someone who you are hoping will describe the pain they have gone through so that you can have some quotes for your paper.

Question: can mdma affects or speed up the process of huntington's chorea? person has deteriorated rapitly within 1 year

Answer: What is mdma? Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder. I do not know if it would be affected by mdma but you may find the answer in one of the websites that deal with that particular condition. http://www.hda.org.uk/ http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hunti… http://www.hdsa.org/site/PageServer

Question: Maybe Huntington's Chorea? My father's sister has HD. So by the process of inheriting it, there is a 50/50 chance that my father had HD also right? Because their parents had to have given it to my Aunt... and only if he DID have it, then there would be a 50/50 chance of me having it - correct? (If he did NOT have it, then I am fine?) Unfortunately, my father committed suicide when he was 35 years old, so we have no confirmed test. However, my father had uncontrollable movements of his lower arms and hands, as they were documented in his mental hospital stay. He also had severe deterioration of his memory, as that was also documented. He was also very depressed. Lastly, he mentioned to my uncle before he committed suicide that he had a disease "that he couldn't remember the name of but he would lose his mind and body, and couldn't live that way." The reason I started looking into this, aside from Aunt having it, is due to my own health concerns. Over this past year, I have a hard time finding words, and carrying on a conversation effectively. To the point that I get teased by friends, families, and acquaintances, when these talking hiccups (as I call them) happen. I also have weird twitching of my fingers, and this might sound weird, but in my lower abdomen too. Sometimes it's so pronounced that it feels like I am pregnant again and have a kicking baby. Crazy I know. Aside from my questions above, should I consider getting tested? Should I consider talking to my Dr about these? Or am I being paranoid? The twitching is real, but I want to make sure I am not overacting. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Answer: def get tested. you have history of HD in your immediate family, so it's always a good idea to find out.

Question: Would it be ethical to ban a carrier for Huntington's chorea from having children? Each child of a carrier would have a 50% chance of having a fatal, incurable, genetic disease. This being the case one COULD argue that such a person be banned from breeding not only to spare a child such a fate but for social benefit to remove this trait from the gene pool. Or is that going too far since there would be equal chance child would not have the disease? Keep in mind we have auto safety standerds and other such measures which are not allowed anywhere close to a 50% failure rate. gr8enuf2bme> so you don't think you should be allowed to breed...good enough for me

Answer: NO! Eugenics has been attempted a few times throughout history, even for while here in the good ole USA. It doesn't work. Even for dominant gene traits like Huntington's Chorea... it still doesn't work. All that would happen is that people with a history of Huntington's in the family would NEVER get tested... and the disease would become MORE frequent in the gene pool rather than less. Plus.... it's a 50% chance. There is NO logical argument that can refute the 50% chance of HEALTHY children... and who are any of us to tell another they cannot have HEALTHY children?? Huntington's does not generally become symptomatic until WELL AFTER reaching the age of reproduction (thus unless you get tested you could have 10 kids before you even knew you had the disease).... I would never support mandatory genetic screening for EUGENIC purposes (I am a pro-choice individual and that CERTAINLY includes the right to keep your baby if you want it). Because we cannot have universal testing without terrible social consequence (think about it) this disease will probably always be with us. Finally.... who says that having a short lifespan is worse than not having a lifespan?? Would the music world be better if Woody Guthrie never lived? EDIT: AdamWhite -- The whole point is that Huntington's is a dominant gene.... ALL carriers are heterozygous dominant(homozygotes rarely exist outside very inbred family groups). Thus... if you carry the gene you are getting the disease....but it's a coin toss whether your kid gets it.

Question: Huntington's Gene? The gene for Huntington's chorea has been located near another gene that can be used as a genetic marker. The marker travels with the gene for Huntington's chorea. When segments of DNA are chopped up with restriction enzymes, scientists test for the Huntington's gene by locating the marker. If the marker is present, there is a 96% chance that the patient also carries the Huntington's gene. However, despite the success of the test, some people who are at risk hav decided not to take the test. Why would some people be reluctant to take the test ??

Answer: Huntington's disease unfortunately is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that has no cure or real effective treatment. So basically, the only reason to get genetic testing is to find out whether you have the disease or not. Some people would simply prefer to live with the uncertainty rather than knowing for sure since it would devestate them psychologically if they found out they had the disease for sure. There are also financial considerations since if you are diagnosed with Huntington's disease, it would be impossible to get life insurance for example. It's a highly personal choice and I let my patients who have a family history of the disease but are otherwise asymptomatic make their own choice. In most cases, I've found that family members of patients with Huntington's disease prefer not to get tested.

Question: Do you have an interest in the way that genetic diseases are created de novo in a person? Is it interesting to find out how the Huntington's Chorea gene is formed de novo? Do students explore the possible origin of non-familial sporadic disorders? Huntington's can be created de novo http://fathersageandsinglegenedisorders.…

Answer: I have a mild interest here is more information on the subject for you A de novo Mutation in an already mutant nucleotide of the thyroid hormone receptor beta gene perpetuates resistance to thyroid hormone http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content…

Question: Where are some treatment centers for combined Tourette's Syndrome/OCD? I already know about the ones at Duke and Harvard. I was wondering if there are any others. Many of the numerous doctors I've already been to still think that Tourette's is just another movement disorder, like Huntington's Chorea, and not an obsessive-compulsive-like disorder. In France, where it was "discovered," it has long been thought to be closely related to OCD, but many doctors still don't know this. I'm particularly interested in finding a doctor who is an expert in Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT).

Answer: lfahn25 is correct. Great answer there! Tourette Syndrome is often accompanied by other conditions. This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but it may help get you there. This web site it dedicated to the conditions that can accompany TS. Best wishes. http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/index.ht…