Other Symptoms
Other symptoms may include:
- tremor (unintentional back-and-forth movement in the person’s muscles)
- unusual eye movements. The eye movements can happen early in the disease.
- loss of energy
- fatigue
- seizures[1]
You may also experience physical changes such as
- slurred speech
- problems with swallowing, eating, speaking, and especially walking
- weight loss because of problems with feeding, swallowing, choking, and chest infections
Eventually the person will need to stay in bed or in a wheelchair.
The person may also experience cognitive changes such as problems with attention or judgment and having difficulty solving problems or making decisions.
Other changes may include:
- trouble with driving
- prioritizing (deciding which things are more important to do and which are less important)
- difficulty organizing
- difficulty learning new things
- difficulty remembering a fact
- difficulty putting thoughts into words, or answering a question
These cognitive changes get worse as the disease progresses, until people with HD are not able to work, drive, or care for themselves.
When the cognitive problems get very severe, the person will find it difficult to function in daily life, and may result in dementia. But many people with HD stay aware of their environment and can express their emotions.