Difference Between Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease

Key Difference – Parkinson’s vs Huntington’s Disease

Thekey differencebetween Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease is thatParkinson disease(PD)is a disorder with rigidity, tremors, slowing of movements, postural instability and gait disturbances usually occurring in old age due to degeneration of the substantia nigra of the midbrainwhileHuntington’s disease (HD) is a familial neurodegenerative disorder usually occurring in a younger population, characterized by emotional problems, loss of thinking ability (cognition) and abnormal choreiform movements (repetitive and rapid, jerky, involuntary movements).

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of thecentral nervous system主要是影响运动系统。马达symptoms of Parkinson’s disease result from the degeneration ofdopaminegenerating cells in the substantia nigra in the midbrain. The causes of this cell death are poorly understood. Early in the course of the disease, themost obvious symptomsare shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty in walking and gait. Later, thinking and behavioral problems arise, withdementiacommonly occurring in the advanced stages of the disease.Depressionis the most common psychiatric symptom. Other symptoms include sensory, sleep problems and emotionally related problems.

Parkinson’s disease is more common in older people, and most cases occur after the age of 50; when it is seen in young, it is calledyoung onset Parkinson’s disease.Diagnosisis by medical history and physical examination. There isno cure for PD, but medications, surgery, and multidisciplinary management can provide relief from the disabling symptoms. The main classes of drugs useful for treating motor symptoms are levodopa, dopamine agonists, and MAO-B inhibitors. These drugs too can cause disabling side effects. Deep brain stimulation has been tried as a treatment modality with some success.

What is Huntington’s Disease?

Huntington disease usually appears in a person’s thirties or forties.Early signs and symptomscan include depression, irritability, poor coordination, small involuntary movements, and trouble learning new information or making decisions. Many people with Huntington disease develop involuntary, repetitive jerking movements known as chorea. As the disease, progresses symptoms become more pronounced. People with this disorder also experience changes in personality and decrease in thinking abilities. Affected individuals usually live about 15 to 20 years after signs and symptoms begin.

There is no care for this disorder, and it is largely determined genetically due tomutationsin the HTT gene. The juvenile form of this disorder also exists. Chorea can be controlled with medicines. However, other higher function abnormalities are difficult to control.

What is the difference between Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease?

Cause, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment and Management, Age of Onset ofParkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease:

Cause:

Parkinson’s Disease:帕金森病是造成的degeneration of the neurons in Substantia nigra of the midbrain.

Huntington’s Disease:HD is caused by the mutations in the HTT gene.

Age of Onset:

Parkinson’s Disease:PD usually occurs after the age of 50.

Huntington’s Disease:HD usually occurs in the thirties or forties.

Symptoms:

Parkinson’s Disease:PD causes tremors, rigidity, slowing of movements and gait disturbances.

Huntington’s Disease:HD causes higher function abnormalities such as problems in thinking and reasoning together with characteristic chorea.

Treatment:

Parkinson’s Disease:PD is treated with dopamine-enhancing drugs such as levodopa, dopamine agonists, etc.

Huntington’s Disease:HD has no curative treatment and main the treatment is supportive.

Life expediency:

Parkinson’s Disease:PD doesn’t have an effect on life expectancy. However, it reduces the quality of life.

Huntington’s Disease:HD patients live 15-20 years after the appearance of the first symptom.

Image Courtesy:

Blausen.com staff. “Blausen gallery 2014”. Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. – Own work.(CC BY 3.0)viaWikimedia Commons

“Huntington” by Frank Gaillard – Own work.(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons