Grim Statistics for Sufferers
While diseases like Huntington’s are rare, there are numerous cases. Among the more well-known types of rare disease are Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, which affects the respiratory and digestive systems; muscular dystrophy, a wasting disease of the muscles; and the BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancer genes, which are responsible for certain types of ovarian cancers and breast cancers. There’s also the FAP gene, which can lead to colon cancer.
More than 350 million people have a rare disease. Huntington’s disease can be managed, but there is no cure, and the results are inevitably fatal.
When Huntington’s disease manifests, it has voluntary and involuntary symptoms. These can include jerking or writhing movements (formally called chorea); rigid muscles or contracting muscles (dystonia); abnormal or slow eye movements; impaired gait, posture and balance; and difficulty with speech or swallowing, both caused by physical deterioration in the apparatus that makes them possible.
Cognitive problems for those afflicted with Huntington’s disease can include difficulty organizing tasks or focusing on them; being forced to repeat thoughts or actions; a lack of impulse control, in some cases, leading to sexual promiscuity; a blindness to one’s behavior; and difficulty in learning new information or processing thoughts.
Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder that comes with Huntington’s disease. It’s more than a reaction to news of the disease’s onset – rather, it appears the disease injures certain areas of the brain, changing their function and inducing irritability, apathy or sadness; insomnia; social withdrawal; loss of energy and extreme fatigue; and frequent suicidal thoughts.