Huntington's disease - Research Paper Example

The paper tells that Huntington’s disease may lead to psychiatric, cognitive, movement, and planning disorders, as well as the individual’s general functional abilities. Developed stages of the disease erode a person’s walking, reasoning, talking, and thinking ability such that they rely entirely on others for care. It is estimated that there are about fifteen thousand people living with the disease and another one hundred and fifty thousand having a fifty percent risk of developing the disorder. Prior to the name Huntington Disease, the disorder was famous as Huntington Chorea, a name derived from the involuntary and jerking movements caused by the condition. Patients with HD should understand that it is not their fault that they have the disease, nor are they alone. The condition is not a cause-effect type of disease. It occurs naturally, affecting males and females equally, and appearing between the age of 30 and 50. However, a rare type of the disease occurs below twenty years, known as Juvenile Huntington’s disease. Huntington Society of America estimates that at least one in ten thousand Americans has the disease, roughly totaling to about fifteen thousand Americans. Another one hundred and fifty thousand Americans have fifty percent risks of developing the disease, as well as thousands of others that carry a certain degree of risk. The United Kingdom department of health states that there are about six thousand cases of the disease in the region. ...
The United Kingdom department of health states that there are about six thousand cases of the disease in the region. Research shows that the prevalence of the disease depends on ethnic ancestry. The research reports indicate that Africans and Asians have one in a millionth person chance of inheriting the disease, while Caucasians chance of inheritance is about seventy to one hundred times higher. HD occurs in two distinct types categorized based on the time of occurrence of signs and symptoms. The two types are early-onset (Juvenile) HD and the common adult-onset HD, with the Juvenile HD being more severe (Lawrence, 2009). Signs and Symptoms of the adult-onset HD Signs and symptoms of adult-onset HD vary from patient to patient. However, most individuals often deny the occurrence of signs and symptoms of the disease, or take time to come into agreement with the diagnosis result. It is advisable to visit a physician or health specialist as subtle early signs may assist doctors to determine when the disease will fully develop. Adult-onset HD signs and symptoms are profound between 35 and 45 years, and become worse in the following ten or twenty years before the ultimate death of the patient (WebMD, 2011). In most cases, the patient develops depression followed by problems in motoring skills. At one point or the other, a patient may attribute these signs and symptoms to other causes, or ignore them altogether. It is important to understand the signs and symptoms of the disease to avoid any chances of contradictions. Early signs and symptoms The early stages of HD may have a great impact on the relationship between patients and their friends and family relatives who do not understand the disease, hence shocking, demoralizing, and ...Show more