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Emergencies in Huntington’s Disease

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Movement Disorder Emergencies

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Neurology ((CCNEU))

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Abstract

Huntington’s disease is a rare, dominantly inherited degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by gradually progressive motor and cognitive impairment and a panoply of psychiatric manifestations. Emergencies in HD generally relate to complications of immobility (respiratory disorders and injuries due to falls), or to acute psychiatric morbidity or complications of psychiatric treatment. Clinicians must remain vigilant to acute changes in HD, since clinical changes may be wrongly attributed to the underlying disease, and patients themselves may have reduced awareness of their symptoms or their complications. Emergencies in HD may cause premature death or contribute to poor quality of life in this population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Medical College, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Suite 755, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Kathleen M. Shannon M.D.

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  1. Kathleen M. Shannon M.D.
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Correspondence to Kathleen M. Shannon M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, West 168th St. Suite 310 710, New York, 10032, USA

    Steven J. Frucht

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Shannon, K.M. (2013). Emergencies in Huntington’s Disease. In: Frucht, S. (eds) Movement Disorder Emergencies. Current Clinical Neurology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-835-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-835-5_14

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60761-834-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60761-835-5

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