Clinical Manifestations of Huntington's Disease is characterized by impaired motor functions such as chorea movements, psychiatric symptoms, and dementia. Psychiatric disorder symptoms can appear as early symptoms before going to a real deterioration of cognitive function. Almost half of the patients with Huntington, experienced personality changes that disturb the people around him.
Patients generally blamed his situation to others, be suspicious, irritable, impulsive, untidy, or suddenly become fanatic about a conviction. Patients often angry and generally looking for an escape like alcoholism or drugs. Depression was found in over half of patients with Huntington. After that, the level of intelligence of the patient as a whole will decline. Patients will withdraw from social life and can experience psychosis.
Decline in labor productivity capabilities, inability to handle problems, and sleep disorders require medical consultation. Patients will have difficulty concentrating in learning something new. Over time, patients' motor skills will diminish and disappear. Patients will also experience a decrease in their ability to speak. But generally maintained patient recall. It is categorized as "Subcortical Dementia " .
Abnormalities of motor function will first appear on the hands and face of the patient. Generally, patients will only be unsettled by the people around him. Hand movements will be slowed down and the patient will have difficulty in doing the dominated hand like writing. It will continue to evolve to become a Chorea. Flashing frequency will increase, and generally the patient's tongue will be extended, but it is generally when the patient wants to do something, the movement will be impaired because of the tendency of uncontrolled chorea movement. Patient's muscle tone decreases, there is rigidity, bradykinesia, and tremor as in parkinsonism. In one-third of patients experienced hyperreflex but only a few that show the positive Babinski reflex. Movement of patients to be slow without a decrease in strength or ataxia. Patients will have difficulty speaking because of incoordination tongue muscles and diaphragm.
In addition, the patient will have difficulty in moving the ball well in they pursuit movement or glance, so most patients should be able to turn my head to look to the side. Patients will have difficulty in concentrating at one point, because the patient can not fight the "desire" to look at other objects.
Chorea and dementia symptoms may not occur sequentially, but in general, if the symptoms of chorea and dementia has emerged, on average within 10-15 years the patient will enter a vegetative phase and then die because of infection, or other medical condition. Chorea movement is happening suddenly, brief, asymmetry, halting involving the face, tongue, and extremities. This movement arose spontaneously during voluntary activity that can eventually lead to severe gait disturbance, impaired speech, and swallowing disorders. At the time of the children, the symptoms may include akinetik rigidity, dystonia, and seizures with clinical period is shorter.
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