Ramam Sripada et al., Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2020, 11(3), 3761-3767 REVIEW ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES Published by JK Welfare & Pharmascope Foundation Journal Home Page: www.pharmascope.org/ijrps Huntington’s Disease- An Updated Review Hima Bindu Mylapalli 1 , Ramam Sripada *2 , Sireesha Maram 1 , Sudeepthi Padala 1 , Aksha Susmitha Jangam 1 , Dasaratha Dhanaraju Magharla 1 1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, GIET School of Pharmacy, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India 2 Department of Pharmacy Practice, GIET School of Pharmacy, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India Article History: Received on: 05 May 2020 Revised on: 05 Jun 2020 Accepted on: 10 Jun 2020 Keywords: Chorea, Dystonia, Huntington’s disease ABSTRACT Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare autosomal dominant, fatal neurodegenera- tive disorder of the central nervous system characterized by unwanted chore- atic movements, behavioural disruption, psychiatric disturbances and demen- tia. This condition is characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons within the basal ganglia, primarily the caudate and the putamen. As the dis- ease progresses, neuronal losses occur in the white matter, cerebral cortex and thalamus. In this article, the authors reviewed the genetic aspects, etio- logical factors, stages of the disease condition along with the signs and symp- toms, various diagnostic procedures besides with the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of the Huntington’s disease. This disease is inherited within the families, and the pathophysiology of Huntington dis- ease is restricted to the brain, where degeneration begins initially in the stria- tum, spreads to the cortex and eventually appears throughout the brain.The pathogenesis of this disease is still unrevealed, and there is no treatment avail- able for the cure of the disease. There were many drugs of choices avail- able for symptomatic treatment aiming to improve the quality of life in the patient. The non-pharmacological therapy for managing Huntington’s disease includes physiotherapy, speech therapy and psychotherapy.At a therapeutic setting, all the needs of the patients are to be addressed as the advancement in the development of new therapeutic agents are paving the way for the better outcomes in the management of Huntington’s disease and thereby promising better healthcare for these patients. * Corresponding Author Name: Ramam Sripada Phone: 8374214213 Email: ramampharmd7@gmail.com ISSN: 0975-7538 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v11i3.2545 Production and Hosted by Pharmascope.org © 2020 | All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare autosomal domi- nant, fatal neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by unwanted chore- atic movements, behavioural and psychiatric distur- bances and dementia (Raymund, 2010). This con- dition is characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons within the basal ganglia, primarily the caudate and the putamen (Bilney et al., 2003). As the disease progresses, neuronal losses occur in the white matter, cerebral cortex and thalamus (Von- sattel et al., 1985). Huntington’s disease is char- acterized by both voluntary as well as involuntary movement disorders. Voluntary movements can be affected by bradykinesia and akinesia, resulting in difϑiculty in initiating movements. Postural stabil- ity may also be impaired due to loss of balance dur- ing movements resulting in sudden and frequent falls (Kirkwood et al., 2001). Involuntary move- ments include chorea, athetosis,dystonia and tics © International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 3761