Huntington's Disease

Diagnosis

Professional genetic counseling is important in the diagnosis of Huntington's disease. While genetic testing (from a blood sample) makes confirmation of the disease relatively easy, it can create difficult questions for patients and families.

Depending on their circumstances, patients may be tested either after developing symptoms that point to Huntington's disease or due to family history. Patients who have symptoms will also be tested to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms.

Additional tools doctors may use in diagnosis are brain scans such as CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or EEG (electroencephalography).