Help on Huntington's Disease?

Question

My techer is having me do a project over a genetic disorder and I someone to answer some of my questions over Huntington's Disease.

I can't find images where it shows the physical affects on people who have Huntington's Disease. Is there a photo gallery or website that shows the physical affects on this sort of disease?

Also trends show that people in their 30's or 40's are diagnosed and die in 10-20 years. Can young people die from this disorder as well ex.) 10-15 year olds?

Any help would be appreciated!!!!!

-Ace

Answer 1

The site : http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/huntingtons.html
has many options for pictures from various sources and to answer the death question the earlier a person is diagnosed with it the more rapid the progression of the disease including death and most with it as children die younger than those who find out when they are older so the answer is yes. Another good site for info is:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/detail_huntington.htm
It has info on all stages of the disease and states that those with early diagnosis of the disease usually die within 10 years.Good luck and hope this helps.

Answer 2

Huntington's Disease, or Huntington's Chorea, is a devastating disease. It is an inherited genetic symdrome, and has no cure. The genetic default is in place from birth, but the disease does not manifest itself until middle age. Basically, the brain tissue begins to dissolve. Paitients suffer from alzheimer -like symptoms, eventually losing all brain function, and death. It can take years before the basic brain function that controls breathing and heart beat eventually fail. Since it is a form of dementia, photos of patients will not appear substantially different than photos of non-sufferers.

Answer 3

Huntington's disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene. If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will not develop the disease and cannot pass it to subsequent generations. A person who inherits the HD gene will sooner or later develop the disease. Whether one child inherits the gene has no bearing on whether others will or will not inherit the gene. Some early symptoms of HD are mood swings, depression, irritability or trouble driving, learning new things, remembering a fact, or making a decision. As the disease progresses, concentration on intellectual tasks becomes increasingly difficult and the patient may have difficulty feeding himself or herself and swallowing. The rate of disease progression and the age of onset vary from person to person. A genetic test, coupled with a complete medical history and neurological and laboratory tests, help physician's diagnose HD. Presymptomic testing is available for individuals who are at risk for carrying the HD gene. In 1 to 3 percent of individuals with HD, no family history of HD can be found.
Huntington's disease is an inherited disease. Signs and symptoms usually develop in middle age, and men and women are equally likely to develop the condition. Younger people with Huntington's disease often have a more severe case, and their symptoms may progress more quickly. [Rarely, children may develop this condition.]

An estimated one in 10,000 Americans has Huntington's disease, with about 30,000 known cases in the United States. About 150,000 Americans may be at risk of inheriting Huntington's disease from a parent.