Resolved question:
I am curious about an illness known as Huntington if I spelled that correctly. What is the prognosis as far as from when a person is diagnosed. I have a neighbor that recently moved in and he informed me that they think he has it. Is it true that eventually a person with this can have mental problems? Also what kind of care as far at home or otherwise? I hope you do not mind that I am asking about but I do not know if I want to live next door to a person with a long term illness. For various reasons like the person mental stability.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Family Physician-GP
Hello. Thanks for choosing Doctorspring.com
I understand your concern.
Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant ( genetic ) disorder that normally is noticed in the third or fourth decade of life. So mostly it is noticed and diagnosed in young adults. It does cause a lot of psychaitric manifestations affecting the muscle co-ordination of the body, leading to involuntary movements, psychiatric manifestations, personality change, dementia ( e.t.c). Unfortunately there is no treatment for the disease, and there are other drugs available just to control the symptoms or the involuntary movements associated with the disease.
I can understand you're having concerns moving in next to someone suffering from Huntington's disease. If your houses are separate, and you both have your own privacy, then it should not be a problem. However its entirely your choice, because as i said this disorder has no treatment, and the symptoms keep getting worse without proper treatment which involves vigorous physical and speech therapy along with other medicines.
Hope this helps,
Regards