GC: n
S: NCBI – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4782548/ (last access: 5 April 2017); DRUGS – https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/huntington-s-disease-chorea.html (last access: 9 March 2018).
N: – Huntington (pn): The disease was first described by the American physician George Huntington in 1872.
– chorea (n): 1806, from Modern Latin chorea Sancti Viti “St. Vitus dance” (originally a mass hysteria in 15c. Europe characterized by uncontrolled dancing); from Latin chorea “a dance,” from Greek khoreia “dance”. Extension to the nerve disorder is from 1620s.
2. A rare disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive dementia with grimacing, gesticulation, ataxic movements, finger twitching, dysarthria, speech disorders and other bizarre involuntary movements.
3. A rare familial disease of the central nervous system with insidious onset usually between 30 and 45 years of age.
4. On 1872, On Chorea, by George Huntington, M.D., originally appeared in The Medical and Surgical Reporter: A Weekly Journal (Philadelphia)
5. Huntington’s disease was originally called Huntington’s chorea (“chorea” is the Greek word for dancing) This is because the involuntary movements associated with the condition can look like jerky dancing. However, “disease” is now the preferred term, because the condition involves a lot more than just abnormal movements.
6. Cultural Interrelation:
– Reality: We can mention Woody Guthrie, a celebrated American folk musician who was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease in 1952.
– Fiction: The television medical drama House is one of the most famous examples of the use of Huntington’s disease in the media. One of the main characters, Thirteen, is affected by Huntington’s disease in many different capacities, and several episodes are devoted to exploring the emotional impact of HD.
S: 1. EncBrit – http://www.goo.gl/wCWnQe (last access: 31 March 2017); OED – http://www.goo.gl/PBxf54 (last access: 5 April 2017). 2 & 3. WNMDT – http://www.goo.gl/ppqzFp (last access: 5 Abril 2017). 4. neuro – http://www.goo.gl/uV94rs (last access: 5 April 2017). 5. NHS – http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Huntingtons-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx (last access: 5 April 2017). 6. The Guardian – http://www.goo.gl/4hLjbp (last access: 31 March 2017); http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/hopes_test/hd-in-house/ (last access: 9 March 2018).
SYN: Huntington’s disease; chronic progressive chorea; degenerative chorea; hereditary chorea.
S: MEDICALDICT – http://www.goo.gl/1N7tgg (last access: 5 April 2017)
