Huntington's chorea cases are not very common in modern medicine. This is a chronic disease, which is accompanied by a gradually progressive damage to the nervous system. Unfortunately, to date, there is no effective treatment, so the prognosis for patients is poor.
What is Huntington's disease?
Degenerative chorea is a hereditary disease that is associated with changes in certain genes. Most often, the disease begins to manifest itself between the ages of 20 and 50 years. But cases of teenage Huntington's chorea are extremely rare.
With a similar disease, there is a gradual atrophy of the heads of the caudate nuclei in the human brain. Due to such degeneration, the main symptoms of the disease appear - these are hyperkinesias, mental abnormalities and other disorders.
As you can see, the causes of Huntington's chorea are exclusively genetic. However, there are risk factors that can trigger the onset of the disease. In particular, degeneration often begins against the background ofinfectious diseases, taking certain medications, as well as hormonal and metabolic disorders.
Huntington's Chorea: photos and signs of the disease
As already mentioned, most often degenerative processes in the brain begin in adulthood. It is worth noting that only a doctor, after conducting all the necessary studies, can make a diagnosis of "Huntington's chorea".
Symptoms and their intensity depend on the stage of development of the disease. As a rule, hyperkinesis of the facial muscles appears first. As a result of the gradual destruction of nerve fibers, involuntary muscle contractions are observed - on the face of sick people one can often notice very expressive grimaces, uncontrolled raising or lowering of the eyebrows, twitching of the cheeks. In some cases, hyperkinesis of the limbs is also possible, in which patients bend and unbend their fingers, cross their legs, etc.
As the disease progresses, the speech of the patient also changes. First, the pronunciation of sounds is disturbed, after which the speed and rhythm of the conversation change. Approximately half of patients have regular seizures.
Along with movement disorders, there are also very obvious mental disorders. If in the initial stages of Huntington's chorea there is increased excitability and irritability, then in the future there is a pronounced emotional instability, memory loss, loss of the ability to abstract, logical thinking, perception, concentration. Finally comesdementia.
Is there an effective treatment for Huntington's chorea?
Unfortunately, all existing methods are intended only to alleviate the patient's condition and symptomatic treatment. Constant monitoring by a neurologist and taking certain drugs will help reduce the manifestations of movement disorders, as well as slow down the development of mental disorders. The prognosis for patients with a similar diagnosis is very disappointing. The average life expectancy of a person with this diagnosis is 12-15 years after the onset of the first symptoms.
