A devastating, yet rare, disease that strikes fear in families and even more so in the person that is diagnosed with this debilitating disease. Huntington’s disease can affects both mental and physical parts of the body, with only medication to slow the course of this disease, a certain level of coping and adjustment is necessary.
Huntington’s disease (HD), also known as Huntington chorea, is an inherited disorder that causes the death and break down the nerve cells in the brain. This genetic disorder is a late onset in life, except for the rare occurrence of this disease, called juvenile huntingtons. Symptoms usually start appearing in people between the ages of thirty and fifty years old. However, if the symptoms become present before the
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(CITATION) Along with these physical impairments, other cognitive disorders may be, inability to organize or prioritize tasks, lack of impulse control, and difficulty learning new information. Juvenile Huntington’s presents differently than the regular disease, for example the symptoms are different. Behavioral changes, such as decrease in school performance, loss of previously learned knowledge, are frequently seen in patients that have diagnosed. There is a difference in the physical signs as well, people that have juvenile Huntington’s may have or develop seizures, tremors, a decrease in fine motor skills, and rigid muscles that may affect a person’s gait. After onset of both types of Huntington’s the life expectancy is about ten to twenty years. The disease itself isn’t fatal, however oftentimes the person will develop other life-threatening diseases. The two leading causes of death for people with Huntington's are pneumonia and heart disease …show more content…
As the disease continues to progress the person will become more and more dependent on the caregivers. Numerous complications may arise that often affect the person’s daily life, such as difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, increased fatigue, and inability to handle everyday tasks. To begin with, a healthy diet and weight is crucial to help maintain a person’s energy and to help avoid other complications. People with Huntington’s have difficulty eating, due to the decrease in fine motor skills, coupled with a higher caloric intake, from the higher energy requirement for basic tasks, means a three or more meals a day may be necessary (CITATION). As their fine motor skills deteriorate and their risk for choking increases, certain precautions should be made. Choosing soft or easier to eat foods will reduce the risk of choking, along with decreasing distractions during the meal. Specific eating utensils can be purchased for people with limited fine motor skills, also the use of straws or lids will improve drinking. As their condition worsens over time assistance with eating and drinking will become essential. People affected by Huntington’s will become tired easier, by taking this into account make sure that person takes enough breaks throughout the day to feel rested. As a caregiver or family member breaking down seemly large tasks can help that person feel
The abnormal accumulation of GM2 gangliosides in the neurons of the brain and spinal cord cause the neurons to slowly die, leading to the death of the individual. Infantile Tay-Sachs symptoms do not appear in the body until 3 to 6 months of age, but the destructive process had begun early in the pregnancy, leading to the general death around the age of 4. Juvenile Tay-Sachs symptoms begin to appear around 2 to 10 years of age, but despite the milder effects of the disease the destructive aspects of the disease have been at work since early on in the pregnancy, causing death to generally occur around the age of 15. Late Onset Tay-Sachs symptoms appear between adolescence and mid 30s, but does not have an average age of death. Due to the milder symptoms of the disease some individuals life expectancy may not be affected, but cases of Late Onset Tay-Sachs
Tay-Sachs disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is known to be genetically inherited. Both children and adults may suffer from this neurological disease, but it is most common in children (Percy, 1999). This disease causes abnormal brain development in individuals who are affected by this disease. This disease is known to get progressively worse, and unfortunately leads to death. Due to the rapid progression of this disease, the life expectancy is no more than five-six years of age due to complications related to the disorder (Percy, 1999).
Many people, like myself, after watching an episode of “The Michael Jay Fox Show,” started to be come curious as to what exactly this disease is. You ask yourself; What is this disease? What causes it? Can it be passed down from generation to generation? Is there a treatment? What would your life be like suffering from this? Through my research on Parkinson’s disease, I am determined to answer these questions. I hope to have a better understanding on this disease, and how it affects the lives of patients that I might see in a hospital.
Growing old is hard, and unfortunately it is also unavoidable. It is a part of life and everyone, who lives a normal lifespan, goes through it. Growing old is very hard not only on the individual growing older but also on the loved ones of that individual. Most people as they grow older start to require more and more care to be able to live a normal life from one day to the next. Over time this level of care can become too much for their loved ones to be able to provide. When something like this happens, outside help is needed. This care may come in the form of home care or having to move into a care facility. There are a lot of people that end up needing a significant amount of care to which they need to be in a facility that can give them the type of care that they require on a daily basis. Nursing homes and care centers are the last stop for many hospital patients. They can also be temporary places for people recovering from strokes or surgeries and need rehabilitation to get their lives back in place (Mcgrody). There is nothing wrong with needing to move to a nursing home but it can be a very stressful time for that individual and his or her family, because the end of life is usually not too far away. A lot of people start to have trouble eating when they get older and this can make nourishment levels decline. Weight loss usually occurs as a result of this malnourishment. Part of the reason difficulties like this may happen is because of the different aspects of mealtime in nursing homes or care facilities. There are strategies to help alleviate or to help cope with the problems that arise near the end of life due to eating. A few things to consider when thinking about the end of life are troubles with eating...
Wider, C., & Lüthi-Carter, R. (2006). Huntington's disease: Clinical and aetiologic aspects. Schweizer Archiv Für Neurologie Und Psychiatrie, 157(8), 378-383. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/621626856?accountid=11789
Parkinson's Disease is a mysterious disease that affects the central nervous system and can be very difficult to treat and live with. It is classified as a motor system disorder but is a progressive, chronic disease resulting in
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in the community resulting in significant disability. This global problem has consumed the lives of many. “Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and this number does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected” (Statistics on Parkinson’s, 2014). Once this unbiased disease has begun to affect the patient it is a lifelong battle. Parkinson’s disease has a tremendous impact on the patient as they battle for their independence and plead for their acceptance into their own community setting. People living with Parkinson’s disease struggle with tremors, bradykinesia and rigidity. It takes a skilled nurse to be able to care for the patient suffering with Parkinson. With education, support and exercise the patient will be able to feel some sense of hope for their future. The purpose of this paper to is educate the community about Parkinson’s disease and the impact on the patient and on the nurse caring for the patient.
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive autosomal dominant neurodegenerative genetic disorder. HD was originally named Huntington’s chorea after Dr.George Huntington, an American physician who first gave a detailed note on the symptoms and course of the disease in 1872.Recently the name has been changed to Huntington’s disease to emphasize the fact that chorea is not the only important manifestation of the disease but several non-motor symptoms are also associated with this disease.[1]
About 30,000 people in the United States have Huntington's Disease, affecting men and women equally among all ethnic and racial backgrounds (helpguide.org). While its more common in adults, juvenile Huntington's occurs in one-sixth of all cases (helpguide.org). Huntington's Disease (HD) is a devastating, hereditary disease that slowly decreases the affected person's capability to walk, talk and reason. Sooner or later, the person with HD becomes completely dependent upon others for his or her care. Huntington's Disease affects the lives of entire families immensely: emotionally, socially and economically. In this research paper, the pathophysiology, manifestation, and medical management of this disease will be examined.
...t behavior, and abnormal physical movements. Despite the positive outlooks one must remember that the seizures do take a toll on a person’s health and although the brain in most cases is able to withstand seizure problems without any neuro-degeneration events or any morphologic changes; those with AS should expect to see life expectancy drop anywhere from 10-15 years. With that being said, that still gives anyone afflicted a maximum of 65-70 years if treated correctly which can be considered a good thing because there are other disorders that can do a lot more damage.
70% of the patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia live at home. Patients who are living at home typically receive help from their family members and friends; they also get community–based services, homemaker services, and adult day care centers. Many people with dementia end up in long-term care facility or a nursing home because they need 24-hour care and hand-on assistance with even the simplest of tasks. These patients struggle with eating, bathing, dressing, and using the restroom, which can be very difficult if the assistant has not had training. It would be very difficult to treat patients with high-grade dementia in the regular
Dementia can occur in relation to many different illnesses. Some of the most common of which are Huntington’s Disease,
Since the gene for HD is dominant, there is a 50% chance of a sufferer's
The cause of this is caused by a defect on chromosome 4. This gene is in control for building proteins called huntingtin. Chromosome is a construction of nucleic acids and protein. It brings genetic information in the form of genes. The defect on the gene defines that specific proteins are required to make brain substances that can’t be prepared in the brain normally. This is also the result to the harm and loss of brain cells and some portions of the brain. Also there a collection of chemical called dopamine. This also causes movement problems. This damage this leads to the symptoms to the disorder known as Huntington’s disease. (Patient.Co.Uk, 2011).
Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).