HD: Are You One of Them?

(The signs and symptoms of Huntington’s disease)

Huntington’s disease is currently one of the leading diseases that brought so much apprehension and anxiety to American households and other Western countries and to people around the globe who are familiar of this disease. Much research, studies and efforts had been done and are still being done by experts, scientist and professionals in the medical field to combat this disease as horrifying as Cancer.
This disease has no cure at the present time. Yet, one can determine its identifying signs and symptoms. Brace yourself and be prepared to what you are going to find out. Just pray that you have none of them

Signs and symptoms of Huntington's disease

Because Huntington's disease affects the mind, body, and emotions, symptoms often mimic other conditions. The general indicators and symptoms in early stages can include poor memory; difficulty making decisions; mood changes such as increased depression, anger or irritability; a growing lack of coordination, twitching or other uncontrolled movements; difficulty walking, speaking, and/or swallowing. The pattern which symptoms develop will vary from person to person.

Here are the symptoms by type: physical, mental, and emotional.

Physical symptoms

• Development of tics (involuntary movement) in the fingers, feet, face, or trunk
• Increased clumsiness
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Slurred speech
• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
• Difficulty swallowing or eating
• Continual muscular contractions
• Stumbling or falling

Mental symptoms

• Decreased concentration
• Forgetfulness and memory decline
• Poor judgment
• Difficulty making decisions or answering questions
• Difficulty driving
• Over time, these symptoms may progress to a stage where the person loses the ability to recognize familiar objects, people and places.

Emotional symptoms

Initial emotional symptoms are usually subtle, and thus easy to misinterpret. A lot of conditions and life circumstances can trigger mood changes, so it is especially important to know what psychiatric signs may indicate Huntington's. Depression, the most common psychiatric symptom of Huntington's disease, will generally manifest as:

• Hostility/irritability
• Lack of energy
• Ongoing disinterest in life (lack of pleasure or joy)
• Bipolar disorder (manic-depression) in some Huntington's patients.

A person with Huntington's disease may eventually begin to exhibit psychotic behavior, such as:

• Delusions
• Hallucinations
• Inappropriate behavior (e.g., unprovoked aggression)
• Paranoia

If you have some of the symptoms mentioned above, don’t panic. The best medication ever known to man to solve all the diseases yet often neglected by man is---Prayer. Pray, believe, and never doubt the power of God.