Also called: HD · Huntington's chorea
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Huntington's Disease
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away. People are born with the defective gene, but symptoms usually don't appear until middle age. Early symptoms of HD may include uncontrolled movements, clumsiness, and balance problems. Later, HD can take away the ability to walk, talk, and swallow. Some people stop recognizing family members. Others are aware of their environment and are able to express emotions.
If one of your parents has Huntington's disease, you have a 50% chance of getting it. A blood test can tell you if have the HD gene and will develop the disease. Genetic counseling can help you weigh the risks and benefits of taking the test.
There is no cure. Medicines can help manage some of the symptoms, but cannot slow down or stop the disease.
It sits within Brain and Nerves and Genetics/Birth Defects.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Huntington's Disease
302 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Study to Investigate the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Votoplam in Participants With Huntington's DiseaseNovartis Pharmaceuticals
- An Extension of SKY-0515 in Participants With Huntington's DiseaseSkyhawk Therapeutics, Inc.
- Modification of Threat Interpretation Bias to Reduce Anxiety in Neurodegenerative Movement Disorders (Aim 3)University of Virginia
- A Study to Evaluate ALN-HTT02 in Adult Patients With Huntington's DiseaseAlnylam Pharmaceuticals
- Study to Evaluate the Pharmacodynamics, Safety and Efficacy of SKY-0515 in Participants With Huntington's DiseaseSkyhawk Therapeutics, Inc.
- Gait Analysis in Neurological DiseaseBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Research already completed
- Frequency of Selected Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Huntington Disease Gene Expansion CarriersHoffmann-La Roche
- Group Drum-Based Music Therapy Intervention for Parkinson's Disease/Huntington's DiseaseJohns Hopkins University
- Research of Biomarkers in Parkinson DiseaseInstitut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
- Open-Label Rollover Study for Continuing Valbenazine Administration for the Treatment of Chorea Associated With Huntington DiseaseNeurocrine Biosciences
- A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of PTC518 in Participants With Huntington's Disease (HD)Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- Proof of Concept of an Anaplerotic Study Using Brain Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Huntington DiseaseInstitut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Huntington's DiseaseNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Overview of Huntington's DiseaseHuntington's Disease Society of America
Learn More
- Huntington DiseaseGenetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
Diagnosis and Tests
- Huntington's Disease (HD): Genetic Testing and Family PlanningHuntington's Disease Society of America
Related Issues
- Long Term CareHuntington's Disease Society of America
Genetics
- About Huntington's DiseaseNational Human Genome Research Institute
- Huntington's disease-like: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Huntington's disease: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Huntington DiseaseNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Huntington Disease. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Huntington's Disease, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.