Q. My husband and I have been married for two years and are planning to start a family. My father-in-law died when my husband was 8 years old. We didn’t know what he died of. My mother-in-law never talked about it. now, she tells us that he had Huntington’s disease. We both were shocked. We don’t know much about it, other than it’s hereditary. We need to have information about this illness before we have children. what can you tell us?
A. Huntington’s disease is an inherited illness in which degeneration of certain brain locations brings on a constellation of symptoms. Symptoms most often appear in midlife or later.
Chorea, a Greek word for “dance,” is one of those symptoms. It’s rapid, involuntary movement of the face, upper body, arms and legs. in the early stages, the movements are mild and often go unnoticed. as the illness progresses, the movements become extreme. Involvement of the breathing muscle, the diaphragm, makes breathing difficult. When throat muscles are affected, swallowing is a problem. The ability to speak is compromised.
Dementia and psychiatric problems often appear in advanced stages of the illness.
No cure medicine exists. Medicines for individual symptoms, like the uncontrolled muscle contractions and psychiatric problems, are helpful.
A genetic test for Huntington’s disease exists. It’s an accurate test. Your husband has a 50 percent chance of having inherited the gene from his father. you and he will want this information before starting a family.
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (hdsa.org) and the Huntington Society of Canada (huntingtonsociety.ca) provide information that will be an enormous help to you.
Q. I have two problems. My left nostril is plugged all the time, and I have postnasal drip. Mucus in my throat makes me clear it, to the annoyance of those around me. I think I might have nasal polyps. how do I get rid of them?
A. I’ll give you some information on nasal polyps, but you can’t rely on your own diagnosis. you have to see a doctor.
Nasal polyps are shiny, gray growths about the size of a pea. They pop up in the nose or the sinuses. Polyps are sometimes responsible for a thick discharge that drips down to the throat — postnasal drip.
Nasal polyps can be surgically removed, but they often return.
More than 50 percent of people with polyps have an allergy. Allergy treatments can shrink the polyps. Nasal sprays containing a cortisone drug can do the same.
Q. There’s a little lump beneath my jaw. if I push on it, it’s tender. It hurts the most when I eat. Do you think I should wait to see if it goes away on its own?
A. I don’t think you should wait. Symptomatic lumps or lumps that last longer than two weeks need to be given a definite diagnosis.
Your lump might be a swollen lymph node due to an infection in the mouth. or it could be a cancer growth.
However, from what you say, I think you have a stone in one of the saliva glands lying in the area you describe. It would explain the increased pain you get while eating. Eating promotes saliva production. Saliva backs up in a saliva duct that’s blocked with a stone. It’s painful. The stone has to come out.
Q. I have just been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. could you share some information with me on the topic?
A. Our immune system is supposed to protect us. Sometimes, it gets mixed up and attacks our organs and tissues
Autoimmune hepatitis is a case in point: The immune system targets the liver as being a troublemaker and attacks it.
The attack is proven by finding unusual antibodies in the blood. Antibodies are the product of the immune system.
As a result of the attack, the liver becomes inflamed. “Hepatitis” means “liver inflammation,” and the inflammation doesn’t always come from viruses.
There are two varieties of autoimmune hepatitis that are distinguished by the antibodies in a person’s blood. Some people are so mildly affected they need no treatment. others become quite ill. those people most often are treated with prednisone, one of the cortisone drugs.
Up to 40 percent of patients obtain a full remission. The rest have to put up with on-going treatment or the resumption of treatment when liver inflammation flares up.
Write to Dr. Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from rbmamall.com.