DiAGNOSiS

To diagnose a patient with Huntington's disease, the doctor would first perform a complete physical and ask the patient about family history and symptoms. After the physical exam, the patient will be given a neurological exam and the doctors would look for signs such as dementia, abnormal movements, abnormal reflexes, "prancing" and wide walk, and hesitant speech or poor enunciation. Also, a head CT scan may show loss of brain tissue especially deep in the brain. Huntington's disease can also be diagnosed by a head MRI scan or a PET (isotope) scan of the brain. Lastly, DNA marker studies may be available to determine if a person carries the gene for Huntington's disease in them.