Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
Huntington chorea
Symptoms
Behavior changes may occur before movement problems, and can include:
- Antisocial behaviors
Hallucinations - Irritability
- Moodiness
- Restlessness or fidgeting
Paranoia Psychosis
Abnormal and unusual movements include:
- Head turning to shift eye position
- Facial movements, including grimaces
Slow, uncontrolled movements - Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts
Unsteady gait
Dementia that slowly gets worse, including:
- Loss of memory
- Loss of judgment
- Speech changes
- Personality changes
- Disorientation or
confusion
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
Anxiety, stress, and tension Difficulty swallowing - Speech impairment
Symptoms in children:
- Rigidity
- Slow movements
- Tremor
Signs and tests
The doctor will perform a physical exam and may ask questions about the patient's family history and symptoms. A neurological exam will also be done. The doctor may see signs of:
- Dementia
- Abnormal movements
- Abnormal reflexes
- "Prancing" and wide walk
- Hesitant speech or poor enunciation
A
Other tests that may show signs of Huntington's disease include:
Head MRI scan PET (isotope) scan of the brain
DNA marker studies may be available to determine whether you carry the gene for Huntington's disease.
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Review Date: 06/24/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; and Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant
Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of
Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David
Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
