May is Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month

Huntington’s disease symptoms can develop at any time, but they often first appear when people are in their 30s or 40s. If the condition develops before age 20, it’s called juvenile Huntington’s disease. When Huntington’s develops early, symptoms are somewhat different and the disease may progress faster.

Medications are available to help manage the symptoms of Huntington’s disease. But treatments can’t prevent the physical, mental and behavioral decline associated with the condition.

Huntington’s disease usually causes movement, cognitive and psychiatric disorders with a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms. Which symptoms appear first varies greatly from person to person. Some symptoms appear more dominant or have a greater effect on functional ability, but that can change throughout the course of the disease.

The movement disorders associated with Huntington’s disease can include both involuntary movement problems and impairments in voluntary movements, such as:

-Involuntary jerking or writhing movements (chorea)

-Muscle problems, such as rigidity or muscle contracture (dystonia)

-Slow or unusual eye movements

-Impaired gait, posture and balance

-Difficulty with speech or swallowing

Impairments in voluntary movements — rather than involuntary movements — may have a greater impact on a person’s ability to work, perform daily activities, communicate and remain independent.

Cognitive impairments often associated with Huntington’s disease include:

-Difficulty organizing, prioritizing or focusing on tasks

-Lack of flexibility or the tendency to get stuck on a thought, behavior or action (perseveration)

-Lack of impulse control that can result in outbursts, acting without thinking and sexual promiscuity

-Lack of awareness of one’s own behaviors and abilities

-Slowness in processing thoughts or ”finding” words

-Difficulty in learning new information

The most common psychiatric disorder associated with Huntington’s disease is depression. This isn’t simply a reaction to receiving a diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. Instead, depression appears to occur because of injury to the brain and subsequent changes in brain function. Signs and symptoms may include:

-Feelings of irritability, sadness or apathy

-Social withdrawal

-Insomnia

-Fatigue and loss of energy

-Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide

Other common psychiatric disorders include:

-Obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition marked by recurrent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors

-Mania, which can cause elevated mood, overactivity, impulsive behavior and inflated self-esteem

-Bipolar disorder, a condition with alternating episodes of depression and mania

In addition to the above disorders, weight loss is common in people with Huntington’s disease, especially as the disease progresses.

The start and progression of Huntington’s disease in younger people may be slightly different from that in adults. Problems that often present early in the course of the disease include:

-Behavioral changes

-Difficulty paying attention

-Rapid, significant drop in overall school performance

-Behavioral problems

-Contracted and rigid muscles that affect gait (especially in young children)

-Tremors or slight involuntary movements

-Frequent falls or clumsiness

-Seizures

See your health care provider if you notice changes in your movements, emotional state or mental ability. The signs and symptoms of Huntington’s disease can be caused by a number of different conditions. Therefore, it’s important to get a prompt, thorough diagnosis.