The motor changes associated with Huntington’s disease
What are the motor symptoms that occur with HD?
The progression of HD is different in every individual,
but the following list contains most of the physical conditions that occur
frequently in adult-onset HD. Keep in mind that not everyone with HD will
experience all symptoms, and the progression from stage to stage is only a
generalization. The time it takes to move from one stage to the next is also
highly variable. It is important to note as well that juvenile HD exhibits
motor symptoms that can be quite different from the adult form. (For more
information on juvenile HD, click here).
Early stage
Changes in coordination
Some involuntary movement (such as irregular, sudden jerks of limbs)
Fidgeting
Restlessness, desire to move about
Twitching, muscle spasms, tics
Less control over handwriting
Facial grimaces
Difficulty with coordinated activities, such as driving
Some rigidity
Middle Stage
Dystonia (prolonged muscle contractions), often of the face, neck, and
back
Staggering, swaying, disjointed gait (can seem like intoxication)
Speech difficulties, including poor articulation, grunting, and abnormal
speech patterns
Problems swallowing
Trouble with activities that require manual dexterity
Slow voluntary movements, difficulty initiating movement
Inability to control speed and force of movement
Slow reaction time
General weakness
Late Stage
Rigidity
Bradykinesia (difficulty initiating and continuing movements)
Severe chorea (less common)
Serious weight loss
Inability to walk
Inability to speak
Swallowing problems, which create danger of choking
Inability to care for oneself
Though HD is not fatal in and of itself, the conditions
that it causes can eventually lead to death. One of the most serious
concerns for people with late stage HD is loss of control of the throat
muscles. This condition makes swallowing difficult, and ultimately,
dangerous. Everyone’s body is constructed with two tubes that begin below
the throat; one, the esophagus, leads to the stomach, and the other, the
trachea, leads to the lungs. Usually, we have no trouble making sure that
food passes through our esophagus and not into our trachea. We do this
without thinking, and rarely does something go "down the wrong pipe." For
people with late stage HD, however, this process of sorting food and air
often functions poorly. As a result, food can get caught in the trachea and
lead to choking. If food gets caught in the lungs, it can lead to an
infection known as aspiration pneumonia. Although most people recover from
pneumonia, people with HD usually have compromised immune systems, and
therefore are unlikely to recover from such a severe infection. (For more
information on other potential complications of HD, click here.
If you would like to learn more about the specifics of
motor symptoms and how they are used to diagnose and assess the stage of HD,
click here).
Click here to return to the The Diagnosis of Huntington's Disease page.
Last Modified: 05/22/2009
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