Huntington disease: Year of the Zebra

When was the last time you experienced a feeling of guilt? It is a powerful and often overwhelming emotion that can weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. Although guilt can stem from various sources, including our own actions, families affected by Huntington’s Disease often report carrying a guilt that they have no way to influence. Individuals affected fear transmitting the disease to their children, while those spared experience what they describe as survivor’s guilt. Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disorder that progressively damages nerve cells in the brain, leading to a gradual loss of control over movement, cognition, and emotions. The symptoms usually begin to manifest in the 30s or 40s. Then, over a period of 10 to 25 years, symptoms including uncontrollable muscle movements, personality changes, loss of memory, and eventually dementia progressively become more prominent. Huntington’s Disease is autosomal dominant, meaning the risk of transmission is 50 percent for each pregnancy regardless of the sex of the resulting child. Genetically, the disease is caused by abnormally long repeats in the DNA instructions for the huntingtin protein in neurons. To learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of Huntington’s Disease, watch the dedicated Osmosis video on YouTube and on Osmosis.

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