Dementia in Huntington's Disease: A Case Report

Abstract

The fundamental purpose of this report is to analyze Huntington's Disease (HD) as a low-prevalence pathology that requires a comprehensive clinical approach, especially when associated with late-onset dementia syndrome. The methodology involved the descriptive study of a 77-year-old patient with chronic choreic movements, utilizing clinical evaluation of superior functions and genetic confirmation through PCR to quantify CAG triplet repeats for diagnosis. As main results, a severe and progressive neurocognitive decline was identified, with an expansion of 51 repeats in the IT15 gene, confirming a subcortical-type dementia characterized by the loss of executive functions and total dependency. It is concluded that, due to the autosomal dominant etiology and the absence of curative treatments, timely diagnosis and family genetic counseling are essential for symptomatic management and palliative care planning given the prognosis of progressive degeneration.