HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that presents as a triad of symptoms of cognitive, psychiatric and motor impairments. The disease is caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in either of an individual’s two copies of a gene called Huntingtin, which means any child of an affected person typically has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. Physical symptoms of Huntington’s disease can begin at any age from infancy to old age, but usually begins between 35 and 44 years of age.
Due to the complex nature of HD, as Neuro Physiotherapists our approach integrates sensory and motor and addresses the physical, cognitive and psychiatric impairments that an individual may present with ensuring a holistic approach is achieved. For example in the early stages of HD we would look to treat the high level balance issues in conjunction with short term memory difficulties which are both commonly experienced at this time. Furthermore due to the progressive nature of the disease our intervention would be continuously revaluated.