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Huntington's Disease

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Huntington's Disease is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

Chronic Progressive Chorea
Degenerative Chorea
HD
Hereditary Chorea
Hereditary Chronic Progressive Chorea
Huntington's Chorea
Very Early Onset Huntington's Disease
Woody Guthrie's Disease
VEOHD

Disorder Subdivisions

None

General Discussion

Huntington's disease is a genetic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the gradual development of involuntary muscle movements affecting the hands, feet, face, and trunk and progressive deterioration of cognitive processes and memory (dementia). Neurologic movement abnormalities may include uncontrolled, irregular, rapid, jerky movements (chorea) and athetosis, a condition characterized by relatively slow, writhing involuntary movements. Dementia is typically associated with progressive disorientation and confusion, personality disintegration, impairment of memory control, restlessness, agitation, and other symptoms and findings. In individuals with the disorder, disease duration may range from approximately 10 years up to 25 years or more. Life-threatening complications may result from pneumonia or other infections, injuries related to falls, or other associated developments.

Huntington's disease is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. The disease results from changes (mutations) of a gene known as "huntingtin" located on the short arm (p) of chromosome 4 (4p16.3). In those with the disorder, the huntingtin gene contains errors in the coded "building blocks" (nucleotide bases) that make up the gene's instructions. The gene contains abnormally long repeats of coded instructions consisting of the basic chemicals cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion). The length of the expanded repeats may affect the age at symptom onset. The specific symptoms and physical features associated with Huntington's disease result from degeneration of nerve cells (neurons) within certain areas of the brain (e.g., basal ganglia, cerebral cortex).

Resources

Huntington's Disease Society of America
505 Eighth Avenue
Suite 902
New York, NY 10018
USA
Tel: 2122421968
Fax: 2122393430
Tel: 8003454372
Email: info@hdsa.org
Internet: http://www.hdsa.org

WE MOVE (Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders)
204 West 84th Street
New York, NY 10024
USA
Tel: 2128758312
Fax: 2128758389
Email: wemove@wemove.org
Internet: http://www.wemove.org

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
Tel: (914)428-7100
Fax: (914)997-4763
Tel: (888)663-4637
Email: Askus@marchofdimes.com
Internet: http://www.marchofdimes.com

Hereditary Disease Foundation
3960 Broadway
6th Floor
New York, NY 10032
Tel: (212)928-2121
Fax: (212)928-2172
Email: cures@hdfoundation.org
Internet: http://www.hdfoundation.org

Huntington Society of Canada
151 Frederick St, Suite 400
Kitchner
Ontario, Intl N2H 2M2
Canada
Tel: 5197497063
Fax: 5197498965
Tel: 8009987398
Email: info@hsc-ca.org
Internet: http://www.huntington society.org

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
31 Center Drive
8A07
Bethesda, MD 20892-2540
Tel: (301)496-5751
Fax: (301)402-2186
Tel: (800)352-9424
Email: braininfo@ninds.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

Sjældne Diagnoser / Rare Disorders Denmark
Frederiksholms Kanal 2, 3rd Floor
Copenhagen K, 1220
Denmark
Tel: 45 33 14 00 10
Fax: 45 33 14 55 09
Email: mail@sjaeldnediagnoser
Internet: http://www.raredisorders.dk

Alzheimer's Foundation of America
322 8th Ave
6th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
Tel: 8662328484
Fax: 6466381546
Tel: 8662328484
Email: info@alzfdn.org
Internet: http://www.alzfdn.org

New Horizons Un-Limited, Inc.
811 East Wisconsin Ave
Suite 937
Milwaukee, WI 53202
USA
Tel: 4142990124
Fax: 4143471977
Email: horizons@new-horizons.org
Internet: http://www.new-horizons.org

UCSF Memory and Aging Center
350 Parnassus Avenue
Suite 706
San Francisco, CA 94117
Tel: (415)476-6800
Fax: (415)476-4800
Internet: http://memory.ucsf.edu

For a Complete Report:

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.

It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.

This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.

For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org

Last Updated: 7/23/2007
Copyright 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

WebMD Medical Reference from the National Organization of Rare Disorders

Last Updated: July 23, 2007

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.