Treatment for Huntington Disease in LA
Huntington’s disease involves the progressive breakdown or degeneration of nerve cells within the brain. It’s an inherited disease that has a significant impact on the patient’s functional abilities and results in cognitive, psychiatric, and movement disorders.
According to the U.S National Library of Medicine, 30,000 people in the U.S are affected by it and another 150,000 are at risk of developing the disease.
Symptoms usually appear during the 30s and 40s but if they do so before the age of 20, the condition is termed as juvenile Huntington’s disease. This involves different symptoms and a faster degenerative process.
Symptoms of Huntington’s disease tend to vary from one person to another. During its progression, certain disorders can have a greater impact on functional ability. Movement disorders include impaired gait, balance, and posture, abnormal or slow eye movements, and involuntary jerking. Cognitive disorders include a lack of self-awareness, difficulty in focusing on tasks, and slow mental processing. Psychiatric disorders include social withdrawal, insomnia, and feelings of sadness, apathy, or irritability.
Sadly, there isn’t any known cure for Huntington’s disease. There is also no known way of reversing or slowing down its progression. There are, however, ways to manage the symptoms.
Dr.Farzin Pedouim is a board certified neurologist based in Huntington Beach and Los Angeles. He has years of experience dealing with Huntington’s disease patients and utilizes the latest medical treatments to make the symptoms manageable.