About HD Huntington's Disease (HD) is an inherited disorder resulting in slow and irreversible loss of both mental and physical capacity. There are 30,000 persons in the U.S. currently diagnosed with HD and each of their siblings and children has a 50% chance of developing it. HD is a "family disease", not just because it is inherited from a parent, but also because it profoundly affects the entire family unit emotionally, socially, and financially. HD, like Alzheimer and Parkinson's, takes a person away from their loved ones and the rest of the world long before they die.
HD typically begins in mid-life, between the ages of 30 and 45, though onset may occur as early as the age of 2. Children who develop the juvenile form of the disease rarely live to adulthood. It is characterized by a loss of neurons in certain regions of the brain and progressively affects a sufferer's cognition, personality and motor skills. In its later stages, sufferers almost certainly require continual nursing care. Secondary diseases, such as pneumonia are the actual cause of death, rather than the disease itself.
The good news is that researchers are working hard to find a cure and we should never lose hope that this disease can be conquered. Until there is a cure we must care for ourselves and each other and invest as much as we can in research and outreach to our communities.
New England Region
Virginia Goolkasian, Regional Development Director
6 Boston Road, Suite 203A
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Toll Free: 888-554-8102
Susan McGann, Connecticut Affiliate President
101 Deer Run Drive
Colchester, CT 06415