The Young and The Restless Information: What Is Huntington’s Disease
Posted by The Y and R Lady - 19/06/09 at 12:06 amWhile we watch Y&R for the entertainment value, there is nothing entertaining about the real people who suffer from Huntington’s Disease. I thought it would be a good idea to take a moment to share some information about this illness with you. If you or anyone you know suffer from Huntington’s positive thoughts for a cure are coming your way. If you would like more information, please click on the link below.
What is Huntington’s Disease?
Huntington’s disease (HD) results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells, called neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. HD is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene. If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will not develop the disease and cannot pass it to subsequent generations. A person who inherits the HD gene will sooner or later develop the disease. Whether one child inherits the gene has no bearing on whether others will or will not inherit the gene. Some early symptoms of HD are mood swings, depression, irritability or trouble driving, learning new things, remembering a fact, or making a decision. As the disease progresses, concentration on intellectual tasks becomes increasingly difficult and the patient may have difficulty feeding himself or herself and swallowing. The rate of disease progression and the age of onset vary from person to person. A genetic test, coupled with a complete medical history and neurological and laboratory tests, helps physicians diagnose HD. Presymptomic testing is available for individuals who are at risk for carrying the HD gene. In 1 to 3 percent of individuals with HD, no family history of HD can be found.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
More to come shortly! As usual, I put enough in and left enough out for each of you to add your own ingredients. So get in the Mix!
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June 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Hello,
My family has a history of HD. I appreciate YNR putting it in their storyline for awareness…and I appreciate you for further educating!!
June 25th, 2009 at 11:28 am
You are more than welcome. It started off with me just educating myself, I had heard of it but until Y&R brought it to the forefront knew little about HD. Who says you can’t learn something new everywhere. Positive thoughts go out to you and your family. The medical field comes up with new discoveries all the time. I hope they discover a cure! Thank you for such a personal reply!
July 1st, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thank you so much for posting this information. I have HD in my family and anytime the disease can get some air time makes me happy. Looking forward to see where they go with this story line!
July 1st, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I am glad they wrote the story line into the show, it seems to be a big disease with only a small amount of people aware of its affects. Hopefully this storyline will bring more information to light. I hope for a cure soon!
July 13th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Owe it to Y&R..my mom died from Huntingtons and so will my sister and I. We have all been fans for 20 years and got our daughters hooked. Was nice to see the name out there wish .would have pushed it more as a name is just a name and the disease is horrific…
July 13th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Y&R has done an interesting thing lately and that is to bring a bunch of really serious issues to light. While I was shocked they didn’t give more information on the disease it also gave me the chance to look it up for myself, read it and post about it.
I did the same with the fact that they just touched on the fact that Phillip III considered suicide. Yet I was schoked they didn’t post the number or do a short PSA afterwards. So instead of waiting, I put one up myself. Neither will reach as many as Y&R but hopefully they will reach someone who needs to be informed and provide them with something that can potentially help.
I had no idea Huntington’s affected so many people. Families like yours. It must be terrifying. I believe in positive thoughts, prayers and hope. All these I send to you and your family.
For a cure, sooner rather than later!
July 21st, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Y&R wrote Huntington’s Disease into their script. Although not much information was given and the storyline did not carry on, I am very appreciative that CBS has brought this devestating disease to the public’s eye. My husband was diagnosed May 2009 with HD at the age of 38, and my children are both at risk. Awareness of this disease may help to find a cure.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
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