Comprehensive care in Huntington's disease: a physician's perspective

Abstract

Huntington's disease is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder with wide-ranging effects on affected individuals and their families. Until a cure is found for the disease, patients and their families will continue to need care over years, even generations. The ideal care for HD is provided by a team, led by a physician, with input from rehabilitation therapists, nurses, psychologists, genetic counselors, social workers, and other health care providers. The goals of care are to maximize the quality of life at all points through the course of the disease, in part by anticipating problems that are likely to arise at the next stage of the illness. We describe below an approach to comprehensive care, and introduce the concept of the "Huntington disease molecule", in which the patient, in the center, is surrounded by a shell of immediate and extended family members, with bonds extended in multiple directions to provider who can give appropriate medical care, education, crisis management, research opportunities, address family issues, maximize function, and prepare for the future.