Bologna, Italy TO THE EDITOR: Huntington's disease is an autosomal-dominant disorder with onset in midlife caused by an excess of CAG nucleotide repeats in the IT15 gene, codifying for huntingtin protein, and is classically characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances. Juvenile forms of Huntington's disease may have an atypical presentation with different motor signs including parkinsonism and ataxia and, commonly, with nonspecific psychiatric features. Among the broad spectrum of psychiatric symptoms, little attention has been paid to the possible association between Huntington's disease and eating disorders. We describe the case of a young woman with Huntington's disease that developed with an eating disorder.Case Report The patient's family history was unknown because she had been adopted at birth. After a family bereavement when she was 16 years old, the girl developed an eating disorder that was characterized by fear of weight gain, frequent binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and an abnormally low body weight without amenorrhea. An eating disorder not otherwise specified was diagnosed, and she was treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy. At age 22 she began to complain of instability and disequilibrium. She experienced progressively worsening falls until age 26, when she came to our attention. Neurological examination revealed
Eating Disorder as a Psychiatric Onset of Juvenile Huntington's Disease
Abstract
Bologna, Italy TO THE EDITOR: Huntington's disease is an autosomal-dominant disorder with onset in midlife caused by an excess of CAG nucleotide repeats in the IT15 gene, codifying for huntingtin protein, and is classically characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances. Juvenile forms of Huntington's disease may have an atypical presentation with different motor signs including parkinsonism and ataxia and, commonly, with nonspecific psychiatric features. Among the broad spectrum of psychiatric symptoms, little attention has been paid to the possible association between Huntington's disease and eating disorders. We describe the case of a young woman with Huntington's disease that developed with an eating disorder.Case Report The patient's family history was unknown because she had been adopted at birth. After a family bereavement when she was 16 years old, the girl developed an eating disorder that was characterized by fear of weight gain, frequent binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and an abnormally low body weight without amenorrhea. An eating disorder not otherwise specified was diagnosed, and she was treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy. At age 22 she began to complain of instability and disequilibrium. She experienced progressively worsening falls until age 26, when she came to our attention. Neurological examination revealed
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Eating Disorder as a Psychiatric Onset of Juvenile Huntington's Disease
Marconi, Sara; Rizzo, Giovanni; Capellari, Sabina; Scaglione, Cesa; Cortelli, Pietro; Martinelli, Paolo; Bonazza, Sara
Follow American Journal of Psychiatry
, Volume 168 (10): 1120
American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc (Journal) – Oct 1, 2011
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