Citation

Anderson KE, Gehl CR, Marder KS, Beglinger LJ, Paulsen JS, Huntington's Study Group. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2010; 198(5): 334-338.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181da852a

PMID

20458194

PMCID

PMC3164360

Abstract

Although current reports document a high rate of obsessive and compulsive symptoms (O/Cs) in Huntington's disease (HD), there have been no studies published that have made an attempt to identify comorbidities of O/Cs in HD. We examined O/Cs in 1642 individuals with a diagnosis of HD. Of those endorsing significant O/Cs (27.2%), nearly one-quarter reported obtaining treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. Individuals with HD and O/Cs were older, had poorer functioning, and a longer duration of illness than those without O/Cs. Individuals with HD and O/Cs endorsed significantly higher psychiatric comorbidities of depression, suicidal ideation, aggression, delusions, and hallucinations. Participants with the most severe O/Cs and worse performance on the Stroop task, a measure of executive function. Clinicians should be aware that patients with HD and O/Cs might have a somewhat different clinical picture from those without, and may require a specialized treatment plan.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Suicide; Age Factors; Comorbidity; Neuropsychological Tests; Age of Onset; Prognosis; Executive Function; Depressive Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Cognition Disorders; Huntington Disease