Passing The Disease to Offspring..

The disease will be inherited from one parent who is also affected by the disease. It only takes one copy to inherit HD. The parent with Huntington's has a 50% chance of passing it on to one of their offspring. It is not based on the results from prior pregnancy's.







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Works Cited

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2601/is_0006/ai_2601000689

How Prevelant is The Disease in The Population?

"Huntington's disease is not prevalent within any particular population. All races and ethnic groups, and both sexes are affected." It is estimated that approximately 1 out of every 10,000 people are affected, which is about 30,000 in the US. This includes Juvenile Huntington's that affects nearly 16% of all the cases.



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Works Cited

http://www.neurologychannel.com/huntingtons/index.shtml

If The Disease is Genetic...

In order to have Huntington's you are most likely be heterozygous. One parent has the gene Hh and the other probably to have hh. (h-being a healthy gene) In some rare cases where both parents have Huntington's, the homozygous child will develope more severe symptoms and progression in the disease.




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Works Cited

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Huntington


http://www.dailyherald.com/graphics/jackowfam.jpg

How does a person inherit this genetic disorder? Is it dominant or recessive? Genetic or Chromosomal?

Huntington's is an autosomal dominant disease. If one of your parents have the condition, you therefore, have a 50% chance of inheriting it. If you do not inherit Huntington's from your parents you are not a carrier of the gene. HD is a genetic mutation located on chromosome 4. A small number of cases are sporadic, however, and are not passed through the family. It is just a gene that mutates during sperm development.


Works Cited

http://nervous-system.emedtv.com/huntington

http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v5/n5/images/nrn1386-f3.gif

Genetic Counselors

Genetic counselors are the basis of study for Huntington's. They study different types of genetic diseases and how they are passed through families. They educate families on their risks for the diseases and probability of passing it on to your descendants. They can run genetic testing to research these cases as well. In order to become a genetic counselor, you usually must have a Masters Degree. They must be certified and licensed as well. "People interested in counseling should have a strong desire to help others and should be able to inspire respect, trust, and confidence." (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Works Cited!

http://www.genetichealth.com/Resources_What_Is_Genetic_Counseling.shtml#Anchor1


http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm

http://www.sciencenewsden.com/images/broken_dna_helix.jpg