Hello everyone, and welcome to my eighth blog post. Today we will be talking in-depth about a specific degenerative brain disease called Huntington's Disease!
Huntington’s Disease:
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative illness that is handed on via families. HD causes a person's physical, mental, and emotional capacities to deteriorate, frequently during their prime working years, and there is presently no cure. The majority of persons develop symptoms between the ages of 30 and 50, however, HD can also affect children and young adults. Personality changes, mood swings, and sadness are common signs of HD, as are forgetfulness and poor judgment, unsteady walking and uncontrollable movements (chorea), slurred speech, swallowing difficulties, and severe weight loss. These symptoms vary greatly from person to person.
Because every kid of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of acquiring the defective gene, HD is regarded as a family illness. Approximately 41,000 Americans are already sick, with another 200,000 at risk of inheriting the condition. It is an uncommon disease that affects about 1.22 persons in every 100,000 people in the United States.
Parkinson’s disease has a number of risk factors, including:
Huntington's illness is caused solely by heredity. It is inherited in a dominant autosomal manner. If a person inherits the gene that causes Huntington's disease, the illness-producing gene "dominates" the non-disease-producing gene, and the individual will almost certainly get the condition.
Age is also a factor in the development of Huntington’s disease as people in the age range of 30-50 usually develop the symptoms of the disease. Age is only a factor in helping diagnose Huntington’s Disease but not in actually having the illness.
Causes:
Huntington's disease is a degenerative brain illness caused by a single faulty gene on chromosome 4 which is one of the 23 human chromosomes that contain a person's whole genetic code. Huntingtin is a protein that is coded for by the faulty gene. The normal function of this protein is unknown, but it's known as "huntingtin" since its faulty version is linked to Huntington's disease. Defective huntingtin protein causes atypical involuntary movements, a significant reduction in reasoning and thinking skills, as well as irritability, sadness, and other mood disorders.
Treatment:
Tetrabenazine- treats the jerky, involuntary movements or chorea that can occur with Huntington’s disease. Side effects include depression and suicidal thoughts or actions.
Therapy- Physical therapy can help patients retain mobility and avoid falls by providing them with exercises that are specifically customized to their needs. Occupational therapy can supplement this by assisting the patient in developing coping techniques and identifying methods to make his or her life simpler, whether via minor modifications or the use of assistive technology. Communication challenges that may occur as a result of the disease affecting the muscles of the mouth and throat can be addressed through occupational therapy and speech therapy.
Works Cited:
“Huntington’s Disease - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayo Clinic, 17 May 2022, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356122#:%7E:text=No%20treatments%20can%20alter%20the,a%20certain%20amount%20of%20time.
“Inheritance and Causes of Huntington’s Disease.” Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2021, www.verywellhealth.com/huntingtons-disease-causes-5091967.
“Overview of Huntington’s Disease.” Huntington’s Disease Society of America, hdsa.org/what-is-hd/overview-of-huntingtons-disease. Accessed 17 June 2022.
That concludes today's blog; thank you for your interest and desire to study about degenerative illnesses, since knowing these ideas will make it simpler for you to grasp neuroscience. We'll continue our neuroscience trip next time with insight into a different neurological illness. Do contact me if you have any questions, and please let me know how I can improve my posts to make neuroscience more enjoyable.
コメント