Avaliação funcional em indivíduos com doença de Huntington: uma série de casos / Functional evaluation in Huntington's disease: a series of cases

A doença de Huntington (DH) é uma desordem neurodegenerativa, que cursa com distúrbios motores, cognitivos e comportamentais que contribuem para o comprometimento da funcionalidade. Este estudo investigou o grau de funcionalidade e acometimento de indivíduos portadores da DH, com o Índice de Barthel Modificado (IBM) e por meio do Disease Burden Score (DBS). As variáveis analisadas de cada indivíduo foram: a idade atual, o gênero, a idade de início da doença e o número das repetições CAG (gene HTT). Seis indivíduos foram avaliados, três do sexo masculino 63,6 anos (±10,9) e três do sexo feminino 58,3 anos (±14,2) com o diagnóstico genético positivo para DH provenientes do município de Ervália/MG. O sexo feminino apresentou a idade de início menor comparado ao sexo masculino, com média de 38,3 anos (±8,9) e 46,6 anos (±7,6), respectivamente. O valor médio do número de repetições CAG no sexo feminino foi de 46,3 (±4,1) e no sexo masculino, 42,33 (±1,5). O grau de desempenho funcional determinado pelo IBM foi de 9,3 (±1,1) para o sexo feminino, com dependência total, e para o sexo masculino, 36 (±4,3), com dependência severa. O valor médio obtido pelo DBS no sexo feminino foi de 596,8 (±101,9), com maior grau de acometimento da doença comparado ao sexo masculino com 425,1 (±39,2). O grupo de mulheres com DH apresentou início dos sintomas mais cedo com maior número de expansões CAG quando comparado ao grupo masculino. Todos os pacientes apresentaram dependência total em relação à execução das atividades de vida diária. Sugere-se que pesquisas futuras sejam realizadas com maior número de indivíduos afetados pela DH para que os resultados observados sejam confirmados.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, presenting with motor, cognitive and behavioral impairments that contribute to the decrease of the functional performance. This study investigated the degree of functionality and impairment of individuals with HD using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and the Disease Burden Score (DBS). The following variables were investigated : the age of onset, the gender, the current age and the number of CAG (HTT gene) repeats. Six HD patients from the municipality of Ervália-MG, three males 63.6 years old (±10.9) and three females 58.3 years old (±14.2), who had a positive genetic diagnosis for HD, were investigated. The female group had the lowest age of onset with an average of 38.3 years (±8.9), compared to the male group, with 46.6 years (±7.6). The mean of the number of CAG repeats in the female gender was 46.3 (±4.1) and in the male, 42.33 (±1.5). The degree of functional performance assessed by IBM was 9.3 (±1.1) for the female group, with total dependence, and for the male group, 36 (±4.3), with severe dependence. The mean of DBS value in the female group was 596.8 (±101.9) with a higher degree of disease involvement compared to the male group 425.1 (±39.2). The group of women with HD showed earlier onset of symptoms with a greater number of CAG repeats when compared to the male group. All patients presented total dependence on daily living activities. We strongly suggest further research involving a larger group of individuals affected by HD for statistical validation.

Swallowing endoscopy findings in Huntington's disease: a case report

ABSTRACT Huntington's disease (HD) is a degenerative genetic disorder with autosomal-dominant transmission. The triad of symptoms of this disease consists of psychiatric disorders, jerky movements, and dementia. Oropharyngeal dysphagia, which is more evident with disease progression, is also present. Few studies have addressed the swallowing characteristics using objective analysis in this population. The purpose of this research was to describe the swallowing endoscopic findings of the pharyngeal phase in HD. This is a cross-sectional study addressing a clinical case which included two individuals of the same family, male, 32 and 63 years old, designated as individual A and individual B, with progression of the disease for five and 13 years, respectively. Consistent liquid, nectar, and puree were offered during the evaluation. There was presence of posterior oral spillage in liquid and nectar, small amount of pharyngeal residues, and no laryngeal penetration or aspiration in the individuals with HD in this study.

Language impairment in Huntington's disease / Alterações de linguagem na doença de Huntington

Language alterations in Huntington's disease (HD) are reported, but their nature and correlation with other cognitive impairments are still under investigation. This study aimed to characterize the language disturbances in HD and to correlate them to motor and cognitive aspects of the disease. We studied 23 HD patients and 23 controls, matched for age and schooling, using the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, the Token Test, Animal fluency, Action fluency, FAS-COWA, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, the Stroop Test and the Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT). HD patients performed poorer in verbal fluency (p<0.0001), oral comprehension (p<0.0001), repetition (p<0.0001), oral agility (p<0.0001), reading comprehension (p=0.034) and narrative writing (p<0.0001). There was a moderate correlation between the Expressive Component and Language Competency Indexes and the HVOT (r=0.519, p=0.011 and r=0.450, p=0.031, respectively). Language alterations in HD seem to reflect a derangement in both frontostriatal and frontotemporal regions.

Alterações de linguagem são descritas na doença de Huntington (DH), mas sua natureza exata e a correlação com outras funções cognitivas ainda estão em investigação. Os objetivos deste estudo foram caracterizar o prejuízo de linguagem na DH e correlacioná-lo aos aspectos motores e cognitivos da doença. Foram estudados 23 pacientes com DH e 23 controles, equiparados quanto à idade e escolaridade. Usamos os testes de Boston para Diagnóstico da Afasia, de Nomeação de Boston, Token, Modalidades de Símbolos e Dígitos, Stroop, Organização Visual de Hooper (TOVH), fluência de animais, fonêmica e verbos. Pacientes com DH apresentaram pior desempenho na fluência verbal (p<0,0001), compreensão oral (p<0,0001), repetição (p<0,0001), agilidade oral (p<0,0001), compreensão de leitura (p=0,034) e narrativa escrita (p<0,0001). Houve correlação moderada entre os índices Componente de Expressão e Competência de Linguagem e o TOVH (r=0,519, p=0,011 e r=0,450, p=0,031, respectivamente). Alterações de linguagem na DH parecem refletir prejuízos nas regiões frontostriatais e frontotemporais.

Huntington's disease

Huntington disease [HD] is an inherited disorder of central nervous system: it is a autosomal dominant disease causing progressive neurodegeneration that leading to uncontrolled movements, mental and emotional problems, and loss of thinking ability [cognition]. HD can occur at any age but the mean onset is between 35 to 44 years, generally the onset of disease depending on allele size. A mutation occur on HD gene leading to trinucleotide repeat expansion [increase number of AG codon over 40 repeated] which lead to produce a mutant form of huntingtin protein that cause cell death in selective area in brain [basal ganglia]. The most probable mechanism that explains the expansion mutation is Unequal crossing over and Polymerase slippage. The incidence of HD is varies depend on type or descent of a population weather they are western European, Japanese, Chinese or African blacks, this variation due to the genetic risk factor and the variation on the HD gene. About two-thirds of affected individuals present with neurological manifestations, while others present with psychiatric changes, the manifestations start with subtle changes in coordination, minor involuntary movements and develop to increasing difficulty with voluntary activity and chorea and at the end motor disability becomes severe and the individual is often totally dependent and mute. Therapy that stop or slow the neurological degeneration is unavailable but drugs are used to alleviate the patient suffering by managing certain symptoms such as chorea, psychosis, and depression. The diagnosis is usually by the presence of clinical manifestation and family history and confirmed by molecular genetic testing which also used to predictive testing and prenatal diagnosis

Huntington's disease and alcohol abuse.

The dopamine, glutamate and GABA systems are known to mediate the effects of alcohol on the movement disorders, though their exact roles are not clear. Thus, use of alcohol has implications for pathogenesis as well as management of the movement disorders. These implications are discussed citing a patient who had a strong family history of Huntington's disease and in whom movement disorder and behavioral problems were manifest under alcohol use and withdrawal, but not while being abstinent.

Coreoatetosis hereditaria con automutilaciones e hiperuricemia: síndrome de Lesch-Nyhan / Hereditary coreoathetotic disease with self-mutilations and hyperuricaemia: Lesch-Nyhan syndrome

Esta curiosa enfermedad, descrita en 1964, tiene una baja incidencia (1 en 100.000 a 1 en 380.000 personas-año). No tiene prevalencia geográfica ni étnica. Aunque al nacer el niño parece normal, la sintomatología aparece en los primeros meses de vida. Se produce un retardo del desarrollo psicomotor con una sorprendente compulsión a automutilarse especialmente los labios, lengua y mejillas. Puede también golpearse los dedos, manos o la cabeza con una conducta autoagresiva. Además hay habitualmente movimientos coreoatetósicos y espasticidad. La mayoría logra caminar pero, con el avance de la enfermedad, quedan inválidos. Se retrasa la adquisición del lenguaje y hay disartria permanente