Huntington’s Disease (Essay Sample)

Huntington’s Disease Psychology 220-501 Development Psychology 29th October, 2019 Huntington’s Disease Introduction Huntington’s disease is a genetic brain disorder that that causes uncontrolled movement, speech issues, emotional issues and loss of thinking. It affects adults aged 30 and above, as well as children (Bates, Tabrizi & Jones, 2014). Since it is a genetic disease, knowing about it helps people to make informed decisions about having children. Everyone has a gene for it, but the gene only expresses itself in a few people. The disease affects nearly 1 in every 10,000 people in the U.S, and more than 200,000 are at risk of inheriting it (Shanley, 2018). In this paper, the inheritance patterns that result in Huntington’s disease, its clinical diagnosis and management, and clinical manifestation are discussed. Inheritance Pattern The disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. The risk of passing it on increases as the generation widens, since the size of the CCAG trinucleotide repeat increases as the altered HTT pattern is passed on (GHR, 2019). Individuals with a family history of the disease have a high risk of passing it on. For this reason, those who are already living with the disease ought to have genetic counselling to understand the risk of passing it on to newborn children. Many people with genetic diseases have been able to conceive through technology so that the illnesses are not passed on to newborn children. In-vitro insemination is one method that enables this to happen. Diagnosis and Management There have been substantial diagnosis and management efforts based on the study of genes. Genetic testing is used to identify changes in chromosomes, genes and proteins, and is key in determining the risk of the disease. Predictive testing for Huntington disease gives an opportunity to determine the dene status prior to symptoms, and this technique has improved over the years (Bates, Tabrizi & Jones, 2014). Neurological examinations may also be conducted to make clear diagnosis, which entail motor symptoms tests, sensory symptoms tests and psychiatric symptoms tests. There is no specific treatment for altering the course of Huntington’s disease, which facilitates medical and clinical management. Medications are designed to help the patients to relief some of the symptoms, especially those dealing with movement and psychiatric disorders. Some of the drugs accompanying medical management include tetrabenazine and antipsychotic drugs. (Aronson, 2012). As well, there are many interventions that can help people to adapt to the changes in personal abilities for some time. As the disease progresses, the medication needed may change, which is guided by the overall treatment goals. Clinical manifestation The clinical manifestations of Huntington disease have been established through progressive research over the years. The disease has 3 sub-types, and the adult onset is the most common. The other two are juvenile and infantile varieties (Bates, Tabrizi & Jones, 2014). The behavioral symptoms include agitation, loss of inhibition, increased aggression and agitation. For people with no family history records of th...