Huntington’s Disease

By: Isabelle Ornela

Desire Medrano
 How does Huntington’s disease work?
● Its an genetic disease that causes the
progressive breakdown of nerve cells
in the brain.
● Huntington’s disease has a broad
impact on a person’s functional
abilities and usually results in
movement.
 On what chromosome is the defective gene
located?
● A human body contains 46 chromosomes,
with 23 derived from each parent. Of these 23
pairs of chromosomes, one pair is the sex
chromosomes and the other 22 pairs are the
autosomal chromosomes.
● In Huntington’s disease the specific
chromosome involved is chromosome 4.
What are the symptoms of Huntington’s disease?
Symptoms may include: Emotional changes:
● Aggression
● Mood swings
● Anger
● Personality changes ● Antisocial behavior
● Depression ● Frustration
● Loss of memory ● Stubbornness
● Weight loss: weight loss can ● Excitement, etc
make the symptoms worse and
Later symptoms:
weaken the person’s immune
● Will not be able to walk or
system talk
● Difficulty focusing ● They will need full
nursing care.
How is Huntington’s disease diagnosed?

● Checking family background (this

disease is genetic) or taking a genetic
test (involves a blood sample being
taken and sent off to a specialized
center for examination)
● Comparing the person’s symptoms to
Huntington’s disease symptoms
What type of therapies are currently being done
for the disease?
There’s no cure for Huntington’s disease but there’s treatment for the symptoms.

Type of medications people take: Selfcare:

● antidepressants - to treat ● Eat more than 3 meals a day for good
depression nutrition.
● antipsychotic drugs - to reduce ● Breakdown and organize tasks
symptoms of mood disorders.
Therapies:
● Mood stabilizers - to manage ● Psychotherapy
symptoms of bipolar disorders ● Speech and physical therapy
● Physical therapy
 What type of doctor is considered to be an
expert in this field?

● Genetic counselor
● Medical geneticist
● Neurologist
● psychiatrist
 How long have we known about this disease?

The first case:

It was first recognized as an
inherited disorder in 1872 when a 22
years old american doctor, George
Huntington, wrote a paper. The
paper described the disorder now
known as Huntington’s disease
 What is the name of a support organization for
people who have this disease?
Name of support Description:
The organization is a voluntary
organization: health organization dedicated to
Huntington’s disease improving the lives of people with
society of America Huntington’s disease and to finding a cure
Address: for this disease.
505 Eighth Avenue Suite 902
New York, NY 10018 USA
 A celebrity who has this disease
Marianna Palka
● Marianna palka is a 37 year old
actress.
● Marianna knew she was at risk
of getting this disease due to her
dad being diagnosed with this
disease.
● After her cousins found out they
were positive for this disease,
she decided to take the test…
finding out the bad knews of
being positive for the disease.
Funds to find the cure of Huntington’s disease

This foundation is to
fundraise for the resources
of the Huntington’s disease.
The community raises
awareness, providing
disease education, and
funding research