Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger declared May Huntington Disease Awareness Month during a small ceremony at Tom Davies Square on Thursday afternoon.
Huntington disease is an inherited brain disorder that causes cells in parts of the brain to die.
As the brain cells die, a person with Huntington disease becomes less able to control movements, recall events, make decisions and control emotions. The disease leads to incapacitation and, eventually, death – generally due to other health complications.
There is no cure or treatment for Huntington disease.
The disease is a genetic disorder, and the child of a parent with Huntington disease has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting it.
Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 and 50, but the disease can appear in children or seniors. Around one in 7,000 Canadians has Huntington disease.
Members of the Huntington Disease Society of Canada Sudbury Chapter were at Tom Davies Square on Thursday for the mayor's declaration.
To learn more about Huntington disease, and ongoing research to help discover a cure, visit HuntingtonSociety.ca.
Background
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited brain disorder. HD causes cells in parts of the brain to die: specifically the caudate, the putamen and, as the disease progresses, the cerebral cortex. As the brain cells die, a person with Huntington’s becomes less able to control movements, recall events, make decisions and control emotions. The disease leads to incapacitation and, eventually, death (generally due to other health complications).
Who gets its?
Huntington disease is a genetic disorder. The HD gene is dominant, which means that each child of a parent with HD has a 50-per-cent chance of inheriting the disease and is said to be “at-risk”. Males and females have the same risk of inheriting the disease. Huntington’s occurs in all races. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 30 and 50, but the disease can appear in children or seniors.
What are the symptoms?
- Emotional turmoil (depression, apathy, irritability, anxiety, obsessive behaviour)
- Cognitive loss (inability to focus, plan, recall or make decisions; impaired insight)
- Physical deterioration (weight loss, involuntary movements, diminished co-ordination, difficulty walking, talking, swallowing)
