Huntingtons Disease

Definitions;

HOW DO YOU GET HUNTINGTONS?

Well, huntingtons is an inherited disease, so if one parent has this disease, there is a 50/50 shot at you having it. If you do get HD, it, for the most part, will not show for a while. 

The rate of disease progression and age of onset vary from person to person, and HD is an autosomal disease. The gene that is responsible for Huntingtons is on chromosome 4, one of 22 that are non-sex-linked making them autosomal. This means that men and woman are at equal risk to get it, assuming of course, a parent has it.

DOMINANT OR RECESSIVE?

HD is a dominant gene. So most people have one gene of each. You have a 50% chance of getting the disease if one parent has it. However, if someone has a parent who is suffering with the disease, but that person doesn't inherit it, there is no way they can pass it on.



 
Picture: http://www.dailyherald.com/graphics/jackowfam.jpg
 Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.(2009)NINDS Huntingtons Disease Information Page. Retrieved December 27, 2008. Web Site: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/huntington/huntington.htm