Context:
Researchers from the University of Szeged, in Hungary, have taken some important strides by studying fruit flies to understand more about Huntington’s disease.
Relevance:
GS II: Health
Dimensions of the Article:
- Huntington’s Disease: A Rare Genetic Disorder
Huntington’s Disease: A Rare Genetic Disorder
- Rare, inherited disease leading to progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain.
- Impacts functional abilities, causing movement, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders.
Types of Huntington’s Disease:
- Adult Onset:
- Most common form, with symptoms typically starting after age 30.
- Early Onset (Juvenile Huntington’s Disease):
- Affects children and teenagers; extremely rare.
- Manifests with different symptoms and may progress more rapidly.
Cause:
- Caused by a genetic mutation in the HTT gene, responsible for producing the huntingtin protein crucial for nerve cell function.
- Normal HTT gene has a DNA stretch specifying glutamine repeats (11 to 31).
- In Huntington’s, this stretch is expanded to 35 or more repeats, leading to increased severity and earlier onset.
Symptoms:
- Variety of signs and symptoms affecting movement, cognition, and mental health.
- Mood swings, reasoning difficulties, uncontrollable movements, and challenges in speaking, swallowing, and walking.
Treatment:
- Medications available to manage symptoms.
- No cure; treatments focus on symptom relief but can’t prevent the overall decline associated with the condition.
-Source: The Hindu
