About Authors:
V. Ravi Chandra
Research Associate
Parexel
B.Pharmacy from Priyadarshini College of pharmacy,
Osmania University,
Hyderabad, AP, INDIA
Abstract:
Huntington's disease is an intricate illness. It is a neurodegenerative, insidious disorder-which means it is harmful and fatal but gradually. The onset of the disease is very late to diagnose the disease. Huntington's disease (HD) also called as ‘Huntington’s Chorea’. Chorea means dance in Greek, which is aftereffect of genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. By choreic movement physically we can diagnose HD. HD is also a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Attempts to study early disease are not unique in neurology (e.g., mild cognitive impairment and vascular cognitive impairment), but studying otherwise healthy-appearing individuals who have nearly 99% certainty of manifesting the symptoms of brain disease does provide distinct but valuable information about the true natural history of the disease. A genetic test, coupled with a complete medical history and neurological and laboratory tests, helps physicians diagnose HD. Presymptomic testing is available for individuals who are at risk for carrying the HD gene. HD occurs in about one out of every 10,000 Caucasian individuals. In India, the cases are unknown because of failure of doctors to diagnose HD as they never seen HD in their practice. Approximately 2.5 times more individuals are at risk for the disorder because of the midlife peak in age at onset.
