Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is an inherited disease of the brain, for which there is no cure.

The disease damages the nerve cells in the brain causing deterioration and gradual loss of function of areas of the brain. This affects movement, cognition (perception, awareness, thinking, judgement) and behaviour.

Huntington's disease was originally called Huntington's chorea, after the Greek word for dancing, as the associated involuntary movements can look like jerky dancing.

Who is affected?

Both men and women with a family history of Huntington's can inherit the disease and symptoms usually start to show in adulthood. There are approximately 6,000 people with the disease in the UK.

Twice as many people may have inherited the disease but have not yet developed symptoms. This group, who are unaware they carry the disease, may have had children and passed on the disease without realising.

Juvenile (children's) Huntington's disease develops before the age of 20 years. Only 5-10% of people with Huntington's develop the condition at a very young age, and the pattern of features may be different.