HuntingtonsDiseaseGavinC

Huntington’s Disease **Description: (TNR, 12, Bold)** Huntington’s disease affects the brain and destroys brain cells in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain that controls walking, talking, and other simple activities we do such as getting dressed. Huntington is a gene that builds protein in the brain, but if there is too much of it, then the protein will kill the brain by suffocating the brain cells. When the disease is in full swing, the patient with the disease can lose up to 25% of their brain. What makes this disease is the genetic coding of “CAG”. A normal person has the coding anywhere from 10 to 26. A person with Huntington’s disease will have the coding repeat 40 times or more.

**Inheritance: ** Huntington’s disease is easily inherited because it autosomal dominant. This means that for the disease to be passed on, only one parent needs it, and that if u have the gene, there is a 50% chance you will have the disease, and you cannot be a carrier, you either have or you don’t. **Symptoms: ** The disease does not come on full swings until the mid 30’s to the late 50’s, and the disease gets worse over time. However symptoms may appear in the teens or 20’s. Symptoms include; poor memory, depression, mood swings, horrible coordination, twitching or uncontrolled movements, ability to walk, talk, and other simple tasks is distorted, and eventually you can’t even dress yourself.

**Daily Life: **

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**Diagnosis: ** Huntington’s disease can be diagnosed when a woman is pregnant and a doctor preforms either one of two tests. One is to take a strand of fluid from around the fetus, and the other is to take a sample of fetal cells. After the child is born, there is a series of many physical and psychological tests they put the baby through to ensure that the baby has the disease.

**Treatment: ** There is no treatment for the disease, only ways to make it a little less painful towards the end. Some people use medications or physical therapy to help ease the pain. There is not much else that anyone can do besides waiting for the outcome.

**Research: ** There is a lot of research going on for the cure of Huntington’s disease. Many doctors are figuring whether or not the steroid creatine will help destroy the muscle in the brain and move it down to other area’s of the body. Others are working with Dimebon but that has been disproven.

**Additional Facts: ** This disease was founded in 1872, one in every 30,000 people have the disease, and this disease is not discriminating to any gender, race, or ethnicity.

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