What is Huntington's Disease

In a Nutshell

HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in a gene.

Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene which causes programmed degeneration of brain cells and results in emotional disturbance, loss of intellectual faculties and uncontrolled movements.

Most people with HD develop the symptoms at midlife but in some people onset occurs in infancy or old age. The average survival time after onset is approximately fifteen to twenty years.

It is estimated that about one in every 10,000 persons has the HD gene. At this time, there is no way to stop or reverse the course of HD.

For the Entire Tree

Stanford University's Huntington's Disease Outreach Project (HOPES) has an unbelievably comprehensive description of what Huntington's disease is and what it's about. If you need to know the rest of the story then click here.