What can be done to prevent the disease?

Nothing can be done to prevent Huntington disease in a person who has already been born. Genetic testing can determine whether someone has the gene that causes Huntington disease. Genetic counseling may be useful for a person with a family history of Huntington disease.

What are the long-term effects of the disease?

Huntington disease gradually gets worse over time. Affected people may be unable to take care of themselves and may need to put in an institution. Death occurs in most affected people about 10 to 20 years after the disease is diagnosed.

What are the risks to others?

Huntington disease is not contagious. It is an autosomal dominant disorder that can be passed from affected people to their children. Autosomal dominant diseases require only one bad gene from one parent to pass on the disease to a child. With autosomal dominant conditions, the parent who passes on the bad gene also has the disease. Because the disease develops in middle adulthood, an individual may have children before he or she is diagnosed with the disease.