What is Huntington disease?
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited disorder caused by the degeneration of certain nerve cells in the brain. HD causes involuntary movements (chorea) and loss of intellectual abilities. The condition begins most often in mid- adulthood and progresses slowly to death. The identification of the gene for HD now makes it possible to determine who will develop this disease by examining their DNA from a blood sample in the laboratory. The most commonly used names for the disorder are Huntington disease and Huntington’s disease. Other names in usage include Huntington chorea and Huntington’s chorea. The disorder is named after a little-known American family doctor by the name of George S. Huntington (1850-1916) who wrote about an illness he saw as “an heirloom from generations away back in the dim past.” The illness was inherited and caused a movement disorder called chorea. What is chorea? HD has been known at least since the Middle Ages. One of the earliest names for it was “chorea,” th
