Huntington's disease, also known as HD, was first described on February 14, 1872 by a man named George Huntington, a family practitioner. About thirty thousand (30,000) Americans have HD and about one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) more are at risk of inheriting the disease from a parent. The actual HD gene was not discovered until nineteen-ninety-three (1993), almost one hundred and twenty-five (125) years later! HD is a disease that affects all races, genders, and ages, which makes it more difficult to classify.
There is no known cure for Huntington's disease at this time for humans, however at the University of California, there is a pharmaceutical used to treat cancer that may be able to cure HD. Studies are still being done, but at this time, a fruit fly has been cured of HD with this medicine. "We are extremely excited by these dramatic findings that could have immediate therapeutic relevance," said Dr. Nancy Wexler, President of the Hereditary Disease Foundation. If this treatment is found to work, it will be the only one that will treat Huntington's disease itself. There are many medicines that will help to cover up the symptoms, meaning that it may swathe the symptoms, but there are no drugs so far that will help to cure the disease. There is one drug, Haldol, which is prescribed for HD patients, but research has been done and it has proven to worsen Huntington's disease. .
There are many symptoms of Huntington's disease. Some of the symptoms are muscle spasms, tics, rigidity, falling down, difficulty physically producing speech, and, in the later stages of the disease, difficulty swallowing. The difficulty of swallowing will lead to a great loss of weight. Those are all physical symptoms of HD. There are cognitive symptoms, too. A cognitive symptom has to do with the way you perceive things. Some cognitive symptoms are the altered organization and generally slowed processing of information in the brain.
Physicians have no easy way to diagnose a patient with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers can't confirm a patient with the disease until the autopsy. ... It was a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School named Huntington Potter who created the test. ... At first beta-amyloid proteins were thought to be produced by the disease. ... Alzheimer's disease is a serious illness that is all too common. ...
Over the past decade, many genes underlying heritable forms of the neurodegenerative disorders have been identified, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's Disease and Friedreich's ataxia. ... In Huntington's disease, cellular inclusions and swollen motor axions are found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ... Family inheritance plays an important part in the cases, such as in Huntington's disease. ... Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder. ... The brains of humans with Huntington's disease with increased numb...
Along the way, they hope to develop methods of treating certain genetic diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's Disease. They plan to do this by identifying the DNA sequence of an abnormal gene in which a disease originates and comparing it with the data of a normal or healthy gene. ... Researchers have successfully located the gene and DNA sequence for many diseases. ... Huntington's Disease is located on the tip of chromosome 4, and encodes a brain protein. ...
Perhaps your family has a medical history of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or Huntington's disease. ... There is also no guarantee that just because there is no known history for a genetic disease in the family, that you may not be a carrier for a certain type of genetic disease. ... For example, a male in his late 20's who has a family history of Huntington's disease (HD) decides to get tested for genetic markers for HD. ... A test for Huntington's disease can cost anywhere from $315 to $1,500. (Genetic 2009) Huntington's disease, Parkinson'...
Testing for serious late-onset disease before the symptoms occur. Testing to assess the probability of developing complex disease. ... In addition, genetic tests look for the most common mutations that cause the disease. ... For example, it is not very ethical to test a young girl for a sex linked genetic disease. ... So, strike of the disease may skip generations or at least some individuals. ...
Testing for serious late-onset disease before the symptoms occur. Testing to assess the probability of developing complex disease. ... In addition, genetic tests look for the most common mutations that cause the disease. ... For example, it is not very ethical to test a young girl for a sex linked genetic disease. ... So, strike of the disease may skip generations or at least some individuals. ...
Researchers have successfully located the gene and DNA sequence for Huntington's Disease on Chromosome 4 and have made a genetic test to determine if a person carries this gene. The child of a person with Huntington's has a 50% chance of inheriting the gene, which pretty much leads to the disease. Once a person gets the gene, it is only a matter of time before they get the disease. ... Virtually every disease will have it as one of its treatments." ... For some people knowing that you will eventually come down with a disease can be emotionally destructive as having the disease itself...
Mitchondrial DNA in Aging and Disease Introduction Mitochondria can be found in all human cells. ... MtDNA-related Diseases Aside from the generalized and gradual reduction of energy output and efficiency, mutations in mtDNA can cause specific diseases as well. ... In the case of an inherited mtDNA-related disease, it is inherited from the mother because the mother's egg is the only source of mitochondria in offspring. ... There are two usual trends in mtDNA-related diseases. ... These trends can be explained by a general mechanism of mtDNA-related di...
For Example, Huntington's Chorea is an inherited disease that develops between the ages of 30 and 45, can be diagnosed before any symptoms appear. This can be hard for both the individuals with the disease and their family. ... Since January 1993 to January 1994 scientists have located the genes for Huntington's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and the "bubble-boy" disease. ... It was once feared that the insertion of a disease causing substance could Cause deadly epidemic in the general population upon accidental release. ... Should employers be allowed to ...
