How do huntington patients die

The physical, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms of HD add a great deal of stress to everyday life for these patients for more information on these symptoms, click here. As a result, their immune systems are compromised and diseases such as pneumonia are therefore more likely to result in death. The increased physical and emotional stress associated with HD can cause other problems as well. Chronic stress has been linked to high blood pressure, increased risks for heart attacks, and tumor growth.

In addition, although studies have shown that suicide is not a leading cause of death for HD patients, suicide rates are higher than among the rest of the population.

This is probably due to a combination of factors, including neuropsychiatric changes induced by HD and the added stress of daily life. Although researchers have yet to find a cure for the disease, people with HD can take measures to prolong their lives. A person in this stage of disease will be aware of daily living activities that have to be done, but will require major assistance to do them.

The advanced stage lasts between 11 and 26 years from disease onset. Chorea lessens at this stage, but parkinsonism — which includes slowness, stiffness, teeth grinding, and abnormal limb postures — increases. Speech can become difficult at this stage and the patient may go through periods of confusion and screaming. The ability to swallow also can worsen, and there can be extreme fluctuations in blood pressure and temperature.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death. This mutation is in the form of a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion. Although the exact reason for this is unknown, multiple studies have suggested that the number of the CAG repeats is inversely correlated with the age of onset of the symptoms and disease severity.

Open in a separate window. Discussion With the information available, we found it plausible that significant more patients died from aspiration pneumonia, instead of a primary infectious pneumonia. Competing interests The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Funding information This study is funded by the Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation, a non-profit organization under the Swiss law.

Huntington's Disease. Third edition ed. New York: Oxford University Press; Krankheitsdauer und lebenserwartung bei der Huntingtonschen chorea. Archiv fur psychiatrie und zeitschrift f.

Med J Aust. Genetic Epidemiology. Huntington's disease mortality in the United States. A case control study. Archives Neurology.

Causes of death in patients with Huntington's disease and in unaffected first degree relatives. Journal of Medical Genetics. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. Aspiration pneumonia and dysphagia in the elderly.

Respiratory problems in neurologic movement disorders. Prevalence of subjective dysphagia in community residents aged over Some common end -of-life symptoms include significant weight loss, episodes of fever, respiratory distress and sleeping or deep unresponsiveness for most of the day. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content. You might be interested: Readers ask: How can volcano eruptions be predicted? You might be interested: Often asked: What is moissanite? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.