WeAreHD.org - The Social Support Network for People Living with Huntington's Disease

  TV Review: House, M.D. - "You Don't Want to Know"  Written by CindyC Published November 24, 2007 Part of HouseWork   "You Don't Want to Know" is another fast-paced, character-driven episode that reveals that sometimes knowing it all can destroy the illusions that keep life worth living. Each of the three storylines deal with revealing secrets that will have a profound impact on the careers and lives of the characters involved.   The patient of the week, a magician who has a heart attack while performing a water tank trick a la Harry Houdini, needs to keep his professional secrets to keep the magic alive. Thirteen has...

 Genetic counselor shows patients the optionsHoward Neighbors Jessica Scott, a 1998 graduate of Glenelg High School, is a genetic counselor at Mercy Medical Center. "I help patients think about things they may not have thought about, so they are empowered to make informed choices," she says.(Sun photo by Amy Davis / December 18, 2007)     By Janene HolzbergDecember 21, 2007Just before Christmas two years ago, a patient at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore was waiting to hear whether she carried a gene mutation for breast and ovarian cancer. "I was so certain everything would be fine that I went to my appointment alone," recalled Abigail...

Huntington's Disease (HD) is a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to think, talk, and move. I have tried to compile various facts about HD in this article - 1. The disease was named for Dr. George Huntington, who first described it in 1872. 2.  It originally was called "Huntington's Chorea". Chorea means dance.Many individuals with HD have dance-like uncontrolled jerky movements of their bodies. 3. In the United States, about 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington's disease. 4. The disease destroys cells in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain that controls movement, emotion, and cognitive ability. 5. HD is caused...

  CAG Repeat Size Median Age at Onset * (years) ...

       As you all know Hd is a genetic probelm and it is inherited as an autosomal dominant disease. Autosomal dominat means all those with a faulty gene will be affected with it and if one of the parent is affected, the chance of transmiiting it to the offsprings is 50%.In the United States alone, about 30,000 people have HD. In addition, 35,000 people exhibit some symptoms and 75,000 people carry the abnormal gene that will cause them to develop the disease.      A single abnormal gene produces HD. In 1993, scientists finally isolated the HD gene on chromosome 4. The gene codes for production...

What is Huntington's Disease? Huntington's disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene. If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will not develop the disease and cannot pass it to subsequent generations. A person who inherits the HD gene will sooner or...

Introduction In 1872, the American physician George Huntington wrote about an illness that he called "an heirloom from generations away back in the dim past." He was not the first to describe the disorder, which has been traced back to the Middle Ages at least. One of its earliest names was chorea,* which, as in "choreography," is the Greek word for dance. The term chorea describes how people affected with the disorder writhe, twist, and turn in a constant, uncontrollable dance-like motion. Later, other descriptive names evolved. "Hereditary chorea" emphasizes how the disease is passed from parent to child. "Chronic progressive...