Symptoms of Huntington's Chorea

There are two types, adult onset HD and juvenile HD. Individuals who develop adult onset HD most often show signs in mid-life. Juvenile HD appears very young, usually before the age of 21.

Individuals with junvenile HD show symptoms more rapdily. More than often, they also show signs of other mental disabilities and suffer from seizures. Individuals with juvienile HD usually die within 10 years of the onset of symptoms. It is safe to say that earlier the symptoms appear, the faster the disease progresses.

The symptoms of HD are similar to those of Parkinson's Disease. Some doctors have suggested that the first signs of HD are mood swings, which are usually followed by depression, irritabilty and anger. These symptoms tend to disappear over time, but there have been times when the anger does not and it leads to severe depression and hostile outbursts.

As the disease progresses, intellectual tasks such as memory, judgement, difficulty learning, remembering or making decisions become more and more difficult.

Some individuals may not show any early signs. In these instances, HD begins with the more severe symptoms. These include uncontrolled movements and problems with balance, which affects walking.

When the disease reaches a certain point vital functions become very difficult. The vital functions I am referring to are speaking, swallowing and eating.

The prognosis on the disease is eventually death, occuring 10-30 years after the onset of symptoms.