Huntington's Disease
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.
Alternative feeding arrangements such as
naso-gastric tube are made in later stages (5).
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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).
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.
Huntington's Disease is sometimes misspelled as huntington diseas, huntingdons disease,
huntingdon disease and huntings disease .
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