Huntington's Disease : Symptoms

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Symptoms could include:
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease: Anxiety, stress, and tension; Difficulty swallowing; Speech impairment. In children: Rigidity; Slow movements; Tremor.
Source:ADAM
Date:May 22, 2007
The symptoms of HD fall into three categories: motor or movement symptoms, personality and behavioral changes, and cognitive decline. The severity and rate of progression of each type of symptom can vary from person to person. Early motor symptoms...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part I
The symptoms of HD fall into three categories: motor or movement symptoms, personality and behavioral changes, and cognitive decline. The severity and rate of progression of each type of symptom can vary from person to person. Early motor symptoms...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part II
Huntington disease is caused by a defect in the gene (an inherited unit which contains a code for a protein) of unknown function called huntingtin. The nucleotide codes (building blocks of genes arranged in a specific code which chemically forms i...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Some neurological changes have been seen in HD. However, the connection of many of these changes to the disease's symptoms is still not understood. Atrophy of the basal ganglia and corpus striatum are common neurological findings in HD, which may ...
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Chorea refers to brief, repetitive, jerky, or dancelike uncontrolled movements caused by muscle contractions that occur as symptoms of several different disorders. The English word " chorea " itself comes from the Greek word choreia , which means " dance.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Confusion is the inability to think with your usual speed or clarity. When confused, you have difficulty focusing your attention and may feel disoriented. Confusion interferes with your ability to make decisions.
Source:ADAM
Date:February 13, 2008
Muscle twitches are fine movements of a small area of muscle.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Uncontrollable movements are slow, twisting, continuous, and involuntary movements of the arms, legs, face, neck, or other parts of the body.
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Movement disorders are a group of diseases and syndromes affecting the ability to produce and control bodily movements. It seems simple and effortless, but normal movement requires an astonishingly complex system of control.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli .
Source:ADAM
Date:November 12, 2007
Many people with cancer experience memory changes- such as mild forgetfulness, an inability to concentrate on more than one task, or more severe memory loss- after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. In other cases, as in a person with a brain tumor, the cancer itself may cause memory changes.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
Memory loss can be partial or total. Most memory loss occurs as part of the normal aging process.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Amnesia refers to the loss of memory. Memory loss may result from two-sided (bilateral) damage to parts of Memory loss may result from bilateral damage to the limbic system of the brain responsible for memory storage, processing, and recall.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Mental retardation is described as a condition that is diagnosed before age 18, and includes below-average general intellectual function, accompanied by impairment in the person?s ability to acquire the skills necessary for daily living.
Source:ADAM
Date:November 12, 2007
(Also called sociocultural or cultural-familial retardation) Mild mental retardation attributed to environmental causes and generally involving some degree of psychosocial disadvantage. The majority of persons suffering from mental retardation fall into the category of familial retardation rather than that of clinical retardation, which usually has neurological or other organic causes.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Mental retardation (MR) is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as a level of intellectual functioning (as measured by standard intelligence tests) that is well below average and results in significant limitations in the person ' s daily living skills (adaptive functioning).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Mental retardation (MR) is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as a level of intellectual functioning (as measured by standard intelligence tests ) that is well below average and results in significant limitations in the person ' s daily living skills (adaptive functioning).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
Mental retardation is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as an intellectual functioning level (as measured by standard tests for intelligence quotient) that is well below average and significant limitations in daily living skills (adaptive functioning).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Mental retardation is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as an intellectual functioning level (as measured by standard tests for intelligence quotient) that is well below average and significant limitations in daily living skills (adaptive functioning).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Below-average intellectual abilities that are present before the age of 18 and interfere with developmental processes and with the ability to function normally in daily life (adaptive behavior). The term mental retardation is commonly used to refer to people with an intelligence quotient (IQ) below 70.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood. While many people go through sad or elated moods from time to time, people with mood disorders suffer from severe or prolonged mood states that disrupt their daily functioning.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Research on the connection between a person ' s mood and the food he or she eats has reveled what many people have long believed, that eating a certain food can influence a person ' s mood- at least temporarily. Research by Judith Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has focused on how certain foods alter one ' s mood by influencing the level of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Well Being
Understanding Affective (Mood) DisordersMost people have mood changes now and then. One day they may feel cranky and the next day, they feel great.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Treating Affective (Mood) DisordersAffective disorders are disorders of your mood. They includedepressionandbipolar disorder(also calledmanic-depression).
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Uncontrolled or slow movement is defined as an impairment of the muscle tone (usually in large muscle groups), causing slow involuntary contractions of the head, limbs, trunk, or neck.
Source:ADAM
Date:June 11, 2007
Dystonia is a disabling movement disorder characterized by sustained contraction of muscles leading to twisting distorted postures. Dystonia may affect various parts of the body and has multiple causes, making classification and diagnosis challenging.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Dystonia is a group of complex neurological movement disorders. While the disorders vary in their symptoms, causes, progression, and treatment, dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms that result in abnormal postures and movements.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part I
Dystonia is a group of complex neurological movement disorders. While the disorders vary in their symptoms, causes, progression, and treatment, dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms that result in abnormal postures and movements.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders Part II
Spasticity is marked by stiff or rigid muscles and exaggerated, deep tendon reflexes. The condition can interfere with walking, movement, or speech. See also muscle spasticity .
Source:ADAM
Date:March 5, 2007
Spasticity is a form of muscle overactivity. A spastic muscle is one in which a muscle resists being stretched out, and the resistance to stretch is greater the faster the muscle is moved.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Spasticity is an abnormal increase in muscle tone. It may be associated with involuntary muscle spasms , sustained muscle contractions (dystonia), and exaggerated deep tendon reflexes that make movement difficult or uncontrollable.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior due to an excessive electrical activity in the brain.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 6, 2007
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain . Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
A temporary series of uncontrollable muscle spasms brought on by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Also known as convulsion, clonic seizure, or tonic-clonic seizure.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Children with epilepsy may have seizures only once in a while, or every day. Though seizures can be scary for parents and caregivers, they aren’t painful and are usually brief.
Source:StayWell
Date:July 16, 2004
First Aid: SeizuresA seizure results from a sudden rush of abnormal electrical signals in the brain. Symptoms may range from a minor daze to uncontrollable muscle spasms(convulsion).In some cases, the victim may even lose consciousness.
Source:StayWell
Date:August 14, 2003
Speech impairment may be any of several speech problems, particularly the following: Dysarthria is difficult, poorly articulated speech, such as slurring. Aphasia is impaired expression or comprehension of written or spoken language. Dysarthria is occasionally confused with aphasia. It is important to distinguish between a difficulty in articulation of words versus a problem with the production of language, as these have different causes.
Source:ADAM
Date:April 23, 2008
Treatment for the improvement or cure of communication disorders, including both speech problems and language disorders. Formerly referred to as speech therapy, the techniques, strategies, and interventions designed to improve or correct communication disorders are known as speech-language pathology.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Speech disorders are characterized by a difficulty in producing normal speech patterns. Children go through many stages of speech production while they are learning to communicate.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health
Speech-language pathology is the treatment for the improvement or cure of communication disorders, including speech, language, and swallowing disorders. The term used to describe professionals in this discipline is speech and language pathologist (SLP).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
The field of speech pathology, formerly known as speech therapy, is concerned with disorders of speech and language. A speech-language pathologist is a professional trained to diagnose and treat language and speech disorders .
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
A speech disorder is a communication disorder characterized by an impaired ability to produce speech sounds or normal voice, or to speak fluently. Speech disorders belong to a broad category of disorders called communication disorders that also include language and hearing disorders.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a language disorder is an impairment in comprehension use of the spoken, written, or other symbol system. Speech disorders affect the language and mechanics, the content of speech, or the function of language in communication.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Bruxism is when you clench or grind your teeth. The term clenching means you tightly clamp your top and bottom teeth together, especially the back teeth. The stressful force of clenching causes pressure on the muscles, tissues, and other structures around your jaw. This can lead to jaw joint disorders, jaw pain and soreness, headaches, earaches, damaged teeth, and other problems. These symptoms are often collectively referred to as "TMJ" or temperomandibular joint problems . Many people who clench also grind their teeth. Grinding is when you slide your teeth over each other, generally in a sideways, back-and-forth movement. This action may wear down your teeth and be noisy enough at night to bother sleeping partners. Like clenching, grinding can lead to jaw pain and other problems.
Source:ADAM
Date:April 24, 2008
Bruxism is the habit of clenching and grinding the teeth. It most often occurs at night during sleep, but it may also occur during the day.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Bruxism is a habitual grinding or clenching of the teeth. The behavior is usually unconscious, occurs most often during sleep, and is a reaction to periods of stress in the patient's life.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Bruxism is the habit of clenching and grinding the teeth. It most often occurs at night during sleep, but may also occur during the day.
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Tics are repeated, uncontrollable bursts of activity or speech. Chronic motor tic disorder involves rapid, recurrent, uncontrollable movements or vocal outbursts (but not both).
Source:ADAM
Date:February 13, 2008
Tremors are a type of involuntary shaking movement.
Source:ADAM
Date:August 26, 2006
Tremor is an unintentional (involuntary) rhythmical alternating movement that may affect the muscles of any part of the body. Tremor is caused by the rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles and is a common symptom of diseases of the nervous system (neurologic disease).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders
Tremor is an unintentional (involuntary), rhythmical alternating movement that may affect the muscles of any part of the body. Tremor is caused by the rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles and is a common symptom of diseases of the nervous system (neurologic disease).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
Tremor is an unintentional (involuntary), rhythmical alternating movement that may affect the muscles of any part of the body. Tremor is caused by the rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles and is a common symptom of diseases of the nervous system (neuro-logic disease).
Source:Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
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