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Huntington's Disease Research Directions

Huntington’s disease is currently the subject of extensive research which is being carried out to understand the mechanism of the huntingtin (Htt) protein and how exactly its mutation causes brain damage.

21 Nov 2009

Huntington's Disease History

Huntington’s disease has been acknowledged as a disorder for hundreds of years but the cause was only established recently. Over the years, Huntington’s disease has been named differently, according to what was understood of the condition. Terms have ranged from “chorea” which refers to the jerky, uncontrolled movements that occur, through to “chronic progressive chorea,” which reflected the observed progressive course of the disease.

21 Nov 2009

Huntington's Disease Diagnosis

A diagnosis of Huntington’s disease is suspected based on the appearance of specific symptoms. In most cases, these symptoms appear around middle age, when a person is between 35 and 45 years of age.

21 Nov 2009

Huntington's Disease Genetics

All humans possess two alleles for the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. This gene provides instructions for making the protein huntingtin (Htt). Part of the HTT gene contains repeats of the trinucelotide cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG).

21 Nov 2009

Huntington's Disease Symptoms

Huntington's disease is a genetic condition that affects certain nerve cells in the brain and causes brain damage. This can lead to disorders in movement, cognition and behavior. Although symptoms of the disease can develop at almost any age, they usually begin when a person is aged between 35 and 55 years old.

21 Nov 2009

What is Huntington's Disease?

Huntington’s disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that affects muscle coordination and cognitive function. Symptoms of the disease usually start to develop around middle age. Huntington’s disease used to be called Huntington’s chorea because it is the most commonly inherited condition to lead to the involuntary movements referred to as chorea.

21 Nov 2009

Batten Disease Symptoms

Batten disease is one of a group of diseases called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, or NCLs. The term Batten disease was previously used to refer to a juvenile form of NCL but it has become increasingly common to refer to all forms of NCL as Batten disease.

21 Nov 2009

Batten Disease Treatment

One of the common early symptoms of Batten disease is loss of vision and the disease may first be suspected during an ophthalmic examination.

21 Nov 2009

What is Batten Disease?

Batten disease is an inherited neurological disease that is often fatal. It usually develops during childhood, between the ages of 5 and 10 years. The earliest symptoms range from being fairly obvious, with a child experiencing seizures or vision problems, through to subtle signs such as mild personality changes or clumsiness.

21 Nov 2009

What is a Headache?

Headache is a common health complaint that affects millions of people in the UK. In the majority of cases, headache is not serious and can be easily treated with medication or lifestyle changes such as reducing stress or ensuring a good level of hydration.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Legal Implications

Over the last few decades the attitude towards epilepsy has undergone a sea change. There has been progress in diagnosing and treating epilepsy effectively. Despite these advances, epilepsy continues to evoke fear, discrimination and negative stereotypes.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Pathophysiology

A seizure is the clinical manifestation of epilepsy. This occurs basically due to excessive firing of the neurons and fast spread of these impulses over the brain.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Treatment

Treatment of epilepsy involves medications as well as surgical methods. There should be a complete care plan of treatment for epileptics that addresses lifestyle issues as well as medical issues.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Syndromes

There are several different types of epilepsy and each type has a different unique combination of symptoms, age of onset, type and frequency of convulsions or seizures, EEG appearance, treatment and possible response to therapy. Several of these are syndromes that encompass a combination of features.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Seizure Types

Seizures may be of two main types, partial and generalized. There are four components of a seizure.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Epidemiology

Epilepsy is a common disorder which affects 50 million people worldwide. As the disorder is not curable there is a very high prevalence or existing population with this disorder. Every year several hundreds of thousands join this pool of patients as new cases.

21 Nov 2009

Epilepsy Classification

Seizures are divided into two main types - generalised and partial. This is based on the International classification of epileptic seizures proposed by the Commission on Classification and Terminology of the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) and approved in September 1981. This is based on the clinical features of the epilepsy as well as the EEG features.

21 Nov 2009

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition that has been known to mankind since ancient times. It affects the brain to cause repeated convulsions or seizures - also called fits in common parlance. The word “epilepsy” comes from the Greek and means to be taken, seized or attacked.

21 Nov 2009

Bell's Palsy Complications

Both major and minor long-term complications can ensue from Bell’s palsy in 30% of the patients, and 5% of them are left with a high degree of sequelae. In case of incomplete or aberrant regeneration of damaged nerve fibers, a phenomenon known as synkinesis can occur.

21 Nov 2009

Bell's Palsy Diagnosis

Bell’s palsy is a clinical diagnosis that can be established based on the patient's history and physical exam findings. It essentially represents a diagnosis of exclusion when all other possibilities are eliminated.

21 Nov 2009