{"id":5336,"date":"2019-04-05T05:20:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T05:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=5336"},"modified":"2021-03-29T20:54:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T20:54:24","slug":"14-early-signs-of-huntingtons-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-early-signs-of-huntingtons-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Early Signs of Huntington\u2019s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The onset of Huntington\u2019s disease can occur at any age, but it usually happens in a person\u2019s 30s or 40s. When it occurs at a much younger age it is known as juvenile Huntington\u2019s disease. The early signs of juvenile and regular Huntington\u2019s disease vary greatly. In order to find out if you or someone has Huntington\u2019s disease, you need to know the signs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are eight early signs of the disease to watch out for. When Huntington\u2019s disease is present, not everyone has the same symptoms and at the same degree. A person may not have all of the early signs of Huntington\u2019s disease. Only one sign of the disease may appear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is easier to figure out if a person has Huntington\u2019s disease when more than one symptom is present because only one symptom is can resemble something else. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to know the signs early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Tremors <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

can occur in juvenile Huntington\u2019s disease. The tremors <\/a>are not constant. They just happen off and on. When they do occur, the young adult needs to be somewhere safe. They don\u2019t need to be driving or on top of a ladder because they could not only hurt themselves but others. Once the tremors have ceased, the person can go back to doing what he or she was doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once parents notice that their child is having tremors often, they need to take him or her to the doctor immediately. Even if the child says he or she is fine. It is not normal to have involuntary tremors without being diagnosed with a health condition. The doctor will examine the young adult and ask him or her a series of questions. Once it\u2019s determined that Huntington\u2019s disease is present, medication will be administered. The medicine that is prescribed for the person may help with the tremors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Insomnia <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

are one of the early signs of Huntington\u2019s disease. People that are suffering are unable to get a good night\u2019s sleep. When you don\u2019t get the proper sleep, you can become irritable the next morning. The only way a person can get a good night\u2019s sleep is with sleeping pills and you shouldn\u2019t take those on a regular basis unless prescribed by a physician. By taking sleep pills it may not do your body any good if you\u2019re dealing with Huntington\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can take a sleep test to determine why you\u2019re having sleep issues, but if nothing major is found you need to have your own primary care doctor do a series of tests on you to find out what the problem is. Once you are diagnosed and start treatment, insomnia <\/a>should start to slowly go away. If not, your doctor may prescribe additional medication to help with your sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Difficult to learn new information <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is an early sign to look out for. The information that is given to you may not be difficult to process to another person, but for you, it will be. If you are a student in college, it will be difficult to learn the information that is being present to you. The same thing applies to a person who has been working on the same job for years. Once Huntington\u2019s disease is present, any new information that co-workers give to you is difficult to process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others around you may not understand what is going on with you if they don\u2019t understand Huntington\u2019s disease. Your boss may become frustrated and fire you because he or she doesn\u2019t know that you have the disease. The person suffering from Huntington\u2019s disease<\/a> may want to commit suicide because he or she is becoming frustrated with their life and the disease itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Slow and abnormal eye movements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is an early sign that you or someone else has Huntington\u2019s disease. With slow and abnormal eye movements, the eyes move up and down or around in a circle. The person\u2019s vision may be blurred as well. In order to avoid any attention to the person, he or she may wear sunglasses. A good primary care physician <\/a>will conduct some tests to see why your eyes are acting this way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The physician may have to send you to other doctors to get a second opinion. After you are diagnosed with Huntington\u2019s disease your physician will take steps to help you to have a normal life. Your abnormal eye movements may stay the same. You will just have a peace of mind knowing what you have and that you can take medication to relieve some of the symptoms. The symptoms won\u2019t go away entirely though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Loss of energy and fatigue <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

are more early signs you may notice. If you were energetic before, you will start to lose that energy. For instance, if you were physically active and lived an independent life, it will start to show with Huntington\u2019s disease. Your life won\u2019t be quite the same anymore. You\u2019ll have to change your daily routine to fit your disease. This can be overwhelming for someone who lived an active lifestyle<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people even commit suicide. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have the person get in contact with a counselor who can sit down and talk with him or her. The person needs to let a person know how he or she is feeling when dealing with Huntington\u2019s disease. Once the disease is controlled, you may be able to go back to doing some of the things you enjoyed doing, but at a much slower pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Behavior issues <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

occur with juvenile Huntington\u2019s disease. The young adult begins to act out at home and in public. This can lead to jail or prison time if this isn\u2019t handled early on. It is a good idea for young adults to have positive people in their lives during this time, such as mentors and supportive family and friends. They need to be around people who understand his or her condition and not make them do things that will cause them trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young adults with juvenile Huntington\u2019s disease can live a normal life, but they just need to get a handle on their behavior issues. If they plan on having a relationship, they will need to control their anger. Their doctor may prescribe additional medication to help with their behavioral issues along with cognitive <\/a>therapy. Medication alone won\u2019t help. By using both treatments, they can do wonders for a person\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Thoughts of death and suicide <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

are always on the person\u2019s mind. With Huntington\u2019s disease, you\u2019re limited to what you can do because your movements are impaired. As stated before, if you were physically active and had a good career, but the disease caused you to stop doing both, you will want to give up on life. You will feel like life isn\u2019t important anymore because you have no purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to cope with your thoughts, you will need to speak with a mental health counselor and take anti-depressants<\/a>. The person may be able to take up a hobby that isn\u2019t strenuous on his or her body. Suicide is serious and shouldn\u2019t be taken lightly. The person may need to be placed into a mental health facility for treatment while dealing with Huntington\u2019s disease. Once the person is okay to leave the facility, he or she will be able to cope better with their condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Difficult focusing on tasks <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is another early sign of Huntington\u2019s disease. While at work, the person may be working on a task and get sidetracked by thinking about something else. If the work has a deadline, the deadline can\u2019t be met because the person\u2019s mind was somewhere else when he or she should have been doing their work. This can cause a loss of employment as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At home, a spouse may give him or her a task to do, but the other spouse is unable to complete the task. This will cause the person\u2019s spouse to get angry with him or her. Once Huntington\u2019s disease is diagnosed<\/a>, people around the person can begin to be more compassionate about why he or she is unable to focus on tasks. It will be frustrating for all parties involved, but by being educated on the disease and having a support system, things should start to fall into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9.    Social Withdrawal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Huntington\u2019s disease affects the mental health of patients who are dealing with the condition. Many people with the disease find that they start to experience signs of depression and anxiety as the state begins to take hold of the nervous system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety describes a persistent feeling of dread, where the affected individual thinks they are under threat from an unknown or known entity or circumstance in their life. As a result, the affected individual may start to withdraw from social situations as their anxiety starts to get out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affected individuals may find that they dislike the lack of control in social situations, and due to diminished cognitive capacity, they may struggle with following along with a conversation. This effect leads them into isolation, where they don\u2019t have the deal with the psychological effects of social anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, this type of reclusive behavior often exacerbates their mental health<\/a> issues, increasing the rate of cognitive decline.
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10. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of us know someone that is overtly clean of tidy, and requires you to remove your shoes before stepping into their car. Most of us write these personality traits off as a case of \u201cOCD.\u201d Unfortunately, this misrepresentation of personal hygiene and cleanliness has nothing to do with obsessive-compulsive disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OCD <\/a>describes a mental illness where the affected person slowly starts to develop personality traits of high-anxiety. The condition typically takes years to build, with patients noticing a gradual onset of symptoms over an extended period. Eventually, the person usually experiences a \u201ctrigger event,\u201d such as a death in the family or a period of high-stress that brings out the obsessive and compulsive actions that characterize the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with OCD find that they have uncontrollable thoughts about something that causes a reaction of fear or stress, making them spin out of control with feelings of anxiety. People that experience compulsive symptoms typically complete a ritual or action to provide relief from their distress.
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11.    Bipolar Disorder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bipolar <\/a>is another mental health disorder affecting patients with Huntington\u2019s disease. People who develop this condition experience wild swings in their mood and mental state. One day they may be perfectly fine and have a balanced state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within hours, the patient may experience a trigger that induces a deep depressive state where they feel like their life cannot go on anymore. The third state of bipolar is a mania where the patient experiences feelings of joy and excitement. Most bipolar patients find that they tend to side on the depressive symptoms more often than regular or manic periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors treat bipolar disorder using a medication, and most treatments are successful, provided that the patient adheres to the medication protocol. Symptoms of bipolar disorder vary widely among patients. Some may experience mania more often than others, while some patients may experience long-lasting depressions for months on end. People who are suffering from bipolar may also need psychological counseling along with drug therapy.
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12. Mania<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The changes in mental health brought about by Huntington\u2019s disease include bipolar disorder and depression. However, this period of elation \u2013 is one of the more interesting psychological behaviors attributed to Huntington\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While mania <\/a>is considered to be a part of bipolar disorder, it can also have a stand-alone effect on the psyche of a patient dealing with Huntington\u2019s disease. Mania describes a period of extreme elation and excitement where the patient feels empowered and unstoppable, with the world at their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this may not sound very dangerous, the actions affected individuals take in this mental state can leave lasting implications in their life after the mania ends. Manic people will take more risks. They may decide to mortgage their home and risk it all on the tables at Las Vegas, or they might decide to use drugs or alcohol recklessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people with mania may experience feelings of paranoia, such as being watched, and they may also have trouble falling asleep at night.
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13. Physical Changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients with Huntington\u2019s disease experience a variety of physiological changes as the disease progresses. While the psychological effects of the condition are relatively easy to identify, small changes to the physical motor skills<\/a> of affected patients are more challenging to pick up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids affected by Huntington\u2019s disease may find that they have subtle changes in their posture and gait that make them appear rigid and stiff while walking. The muscles may also stiffen, producing tremors or sudden involuntary jolts in muscles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some individuals with Huntington\u2019s may find that it affects their speech, causing them to slur words. The individual may also find that the disease produces subtle changes in motor skills as well, and their handwriting may change.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of these physical changes occur slowly over a duration of years, and you may not notice them in yourself or your children until the advanced stages of the disease start to take hold of the body and mind.
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14. Loss of Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s hard to watch the physical effects of the disease unfold \u2013 especially in children, the psychological impact of Huntington\u2019s is just as debilitating for the patient as well. Patients who are suffering from the condition may find that they start to develop issues with cognitive <\/a>function as the condition advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, they may start to lose previously learned academic or practical skills. It may be challenging for the patient to remember facts and statistics that they already learned and were familiar with within their occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient may also develop problems with thinking and frequently lose their train of thought amid conversation. The patient may also struggle to find the words to express themselves or confuse the meaning of words that they already understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who are living with Huntington\u2019s also find it challenging to learn new information, and they may experience issues with memory recall as well.
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