Huntington chorea

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

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 head CT scan may show loss of brain tissue, especially deep in the brain.

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.

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)