Citation

Pridmore S, Lockwood S, McArdle J. Psychiatr. Genet. 1993; 3(2): 107-110.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00041444-199322000-00007

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The objective of the study was to demonstrate that Huntington's disease (HD) may present without chorea. The patient was at 50% risk of HD. He first presented at 30 years with complaints of depressed mood, suicidal thoughts and failing memory, but without chorea. He represented at 40, 42, 44 and 47 years, with a similar picture. There was a repeated failure to make the diagnosis. Post-suicide autopsy found changes in the brain consistent with the diagnosis of Huntington's disease. It was concluded that HD may present without chorea. While care must be taken not to make a false-positive diagnosis and unnecessarily distress patients and their offspring, this danger must be balanced against the damage which can follow a false-negative mistake. © 1993 Rapid Communications of Oxford Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

memory; adult; human; suicide; male; dementia; case report; depression; mood; risk factor; article; human tissue; clinical feature; Chorea; chorea; Huntington’s disease; autosomal dominant disorder; huntington chorea; Presenile dementia