National Huntington's Disease Awareness Day in the United States
Next Date
June 6th, 2026
National Huntington's Disease Awareness Day in the United States
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental/psychiatric abilities, which precede the motor symptoms for many people. The definitive physical symptoms, including a general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait, eventually follow. Over time, the basal ganglia region of the brain gradually becomes damaged. The disease is primarily characterized by a distinctive hyperkinetic movement disorder known as chorea. Chorea classically presents as uncoordinated, involuntary, "dance-like" body movements that become more apparent as the disease advances. Physical abilities gradually worsen until coordinated movement becomes difficult and the person is unable to talk. Mental abilities generally decline into dementia, depression, apathy, and impulsivity at times. The specific symptoms vary somewhat between people. Symptoms usually begin between 30 and 50 years of age, and can start at any age but are usually seen around the age of 40. The disease may develop earlier in each successive generation. About eight percent of cases start before the age of 20 years, and are known as juvenile HD, which typically present with the slow movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease rather than those of chorea.
Source: Wikipedia Huntington's_disease