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Huntington's Disease
See Also:
Huntington's Disease:
Introduction
Huntington's
Disease: Causes & Risk Factors
Huntington's Disease:
Signs & Symptoms
Huntington's Disease: Medical
Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Huntington's Disease: Treatment
Options
Treatment Options
Medications:
There is no cure or treatment to stop or reverse the
course of Huntington’s disease and the medications
may only help in keeping the clinical symptoms under
control. Symptoms are treated as follows:
-
Treatment of depression also improves symptoms such
as social withdrawal, lack of interest and sleep disturbance. It
is treated with tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, imipramine,
desipramine, nortriptyline) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs) such as paroxetine, fluoxetine and sertraline.
-
Treatment of movement disorders helps in treatment
of abnormal movements. It is treated with Tetrabenazine (Xenazine),
haloperidol (eg Haldol) and fluphenazine (Modecate).
-
Symptoms such as antisocial behavior, irritability
and psychosis are treated with Chlorpromazine (eg Largactil), sulpiride
(eg Sulpitil), quetiapine (Seroquel), clozapine (eg Clozaril), risperidone
(Risperdal) and leuprorelin acetate (12).
-
Treatment with lithium, valproate and carbamazepine
can help as mood stabilizers (mania and bipolar disorders). Botulinum
toxin can be used to treat dystonia and jaw clenching (13).
Communication:
Communication skills, memory and alternative communication can
be improved with speech and language therapy. Speech therapy
can also help overcome swallowing difficulties. The family of
a person suffering from HD needs to exercise patience and be
supportive in order to try alternative ways of communication
if speech and organizing thought process is a problem (5).
Diet:
People suffering from HD are given a high calorie diet since
they burn more calories by continuous movement and a close watch
should be kept to avoid weight loss. Food should be easy to
chew, swallow and digest.
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Alternative feeding arrangements such as naso-gastric tube are made
in later stages (5).
Physical and Occupational Therapy:
Regular exercise and physical therapy can keep muscles stronger,
flexible and lessen the risk of falling. Since falls are always risky,
special padding may be provided during walks to help protect against
injury from falls. Ocupational therapy helps in coping with memory and
increase concentration and can assist the patient with eating, dressing
and hygiene challenges in later stages (5) & (14).
Prevention Methods
Huntington’s disease cannot be prevented. In families
with a history of Huntington's Disease, a prenatal diagnostic test can
be carried out to calculate the risk of developing the disease early
in pregnancy. The tests are predictive and there are 50-50 chances of
inheriting the disease. In case of a positive result, genetic counseling
can explain to the parents about results of the tests and also the future
course (12).
See Also:
Huntington's
Disease: Introduction
Huntington's
Disease: Causes & Risk Factors
Huntington's
Disease: Signs & Symptoms
Huntington's
Disease: Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Huntington's
Disease: Treatment Options
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com
Sources:
- Huntington's Disease,
Neurology Channel, July 2007.
- Overview of Huntington's
Disease, WE MOVE - Worldwide Education
and Awareness for Movement Disorders, April 2006.
- Huntington Disease,
Medicinenet.com, April 2002.
- Huntington’s Disease
– Causes/Genetics, WE MOVE -
Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement
Disorders, April 2006.
- Huntington’s disease,
NHS Direct, June 2007.
- Huntington's Disease: Hope
Through Research, National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, May 2007.
- Huntington’s disease
– Risk factors, MayoClinic.com, May
2007.
- Huntington’s Disease -
Symptoms, Findings, and Clinical Course of
Huntington's Disease, WE MOVE - Worldwide
Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders,
April 2006.
- Huntington’s Disease -
Neurobehavioral Changes, WE MOVE -
Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement
Disorders, April 2006.
- Huntington’s Disease
– Cognitive Decline, WE MOVE -
Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement
Disorders, April 2006.
- Huntington’s Disease
–Motor Disturbances, WE MOVE -
Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement
Disorders, April 2006.
- Huntington’s disease,
netdoctor.co.uk, Dr.Linda Appai-Kubi and Dr. K.
Ray Chaudhari, September 2001.
- Huntington's
Disease-Treatment, Prognosis, Neurology
Channel, July 2007
- Huntington’s disease
– Treatment, MayoClinic.com, May
2007.
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