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Unusual Early-Onset Huntington's Disease

Neurology Department Sarah Hospital Brasilia, Brazil

Francisco J. Carod-Artal, MD, PhD

Neurology Department Sarah Hospital Brasilia, Brazil, javier{at}bsb.sarah.br/FJCarod{at}aol.com.

Denise Bomfim, MD

Neurology Department Sarah Hospital Brasilia, Brazil

Carolina Vázquez-Cabrera, MD

Neurology Department Sarah Hospital Brasilia, Brazil

Carmela Dantas-Barbosa, MD

Molecular Biology Laboratory Sarah Hospital Brasilia, Brazil

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive decline, and behavioral disorders leading to functional disability. In contrast to patients with adult onset, in which chorea is the major motor abnormality, children often present with spasticity, rigidity, and significant intellectual decline associated with a more rapidly progressive course. An unusual early-onset Huntington's disease case of an 11-year-old boy with severe hypokinetic/rigid syndrome appearing at the age of 2.5 years is presented. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction study of the expanded IT-15 allele with a compatible size of 102 cytosine-adenosine-guanosine repeats. L-Dopa mildly ameliorated rigidity, bradykinesia, and dystonia. We conclude that Huntington's disease should be included in the differential diagnoses of regressive syndromes of early childhood. (J Child Neurol 2003; 18:429—432).

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