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Huntington's Disease
Although it was once considered a rare disease, Huntington's disease (HD) is now known to be one of several frequently encountered hereditary diseases. It is estimated that 30,000 people in the U.S. have the disease. People affected by HD require extensive care from their families and loved ones, and because of this need, this devastating condition affects a wide circle of people close to those who are ill ("Huntington's Disease"). This widespread affect on so many lives is one reason that promoting HD awareness is so important.
HD is an inherited brain disorder that leads to loss of physical control and mental capacity. Caused by an inherited defect in a single gene, HD is an autosomal dominant disorder, which means that a person needs only one copy of the defective gene to develop the disorder. With the exception of genes on the sex chromosomes, a person inherits two copies of every gene, one from each parent. A parent with a defective Huntington gene could pass along either the defective copy of the gene or the healthy copy. Therefore, each child in a family has a 50% chance of inheriting the gene that causes the disorder (Mayo Clinic Staff).
Also,...
Should they have a test to see if they have the gene? Should they start a family?
Huntington's disease affects approximately 1 person in 10,000, but its genetic nature means that it affects a significant number of family members as well. Approximately 200,000 Americans are at risk of inheriting the disease from an affected parent. Every person who inherits the HD gene will eventually develop the disease if they do not die of other causes first. Even though HD does not affect large numbers of people, a patient with HD is affected for a very long period of time, from 10 to 30 years typically. For all of these reasons, HD represents a significant challenge (Quarrell).
The HD genetic problem causes nerve cell loss in the brain. Symptoms may develop gradually, and will affect an individual's ability to move, think, and process thoughts and feelings. After the onset of HD, a person's functional abilities gradually deteriorate over time, with the rate and progression of the disease varying with each individual. From onset of the…
Works Cited
"Huntington's Disease." Family Caregiver Alliance. 2003. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=574>
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Huntington's disease." Mayo clinic. 5 May 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/huntingtons-disease/DS00401/DSECTION=causes
Orth, Michael. "Gene silencing takes a step forward." Huntington's Disease Society of America. 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.hdsa.org/hdbuzz/hdbuzz-gene-silencing-takes-a-targeted-step-forward.html>
Quarrell, Oliver. Huntington's Disease The Facts. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Huntington's disease, also known as HD, is an uncommon degenerative disorder that greatly impacts the central nervous system of the individual. It is often characterized by surplus and unneeded choreatic movements, unusual behavioral patterns, disturbances in the mental level and dementia. (Sheth 2013) As far as the Caucasian population is concerned, the Huntington's disease is prevalent in one out of ten thousand persons. The symptoms start to appear when the
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In this case, Harry also has no moral obligation to receive genetic testing. Although another argument would state that Harry is morally required to disclose to his wife that she may have to deal with the monumental task of caring for a person with Huntington's disease before they are married, Harry and his fiancee are both consenting adults. If she does not demand to know, she cannot hold him
In stage five, the affected person will begin to experience "major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function" and may require some type of assistance with "day-to-day activities like preparing meals, taking a bath or putting on clothing. The affected person will also lack the ability to recall very simple, ordinary things like his/her address, telephone number or even the name of his/her spouse or close friend and will
However, an individual should be able to investigate their own roots, even if the science is questionable. When such information is released into the public domain without the individual's permission though, a lot of harm can be done. Making invasions into a person's genetic history illegal is probably the best remedy. Genetic testing has become an important tool for medical diagnosis and treatments (Norrgard) and therefore should be available to
With recessive genes (in which both mother and father have to contribute a 'positive' set of the same genes) are designed to work in precisely the same way that hemophilia does: One out of four offspring (on average) will have the condition, two will be carriers, and one will be neither sick nor a carrier. Klinefelter's syndrome, on the other hand, arises from a mechanical mistake that occurs on the