Confronting Huntington's Disease

By John Riehl

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder in which specific nerve cells in the brain degenerate, causing symptoms like moodiness and irritability, impaired memory and executive function, and abnormal body movements.

HD affects about 30,000 people in the United States. There is no cure. People with the disease usually die within 15 to 20 years of developing movement symptoms.

This harsh reality inspired Nancy Downing, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical genetics nursing research at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, to help people with the disease function well for as long and comfortably as possible.

To read the full article, click here [1]