Platform presentation—Early vs Late Huntington's Disease: Is There a Difference in Psychiatric Symptom Severity?

Background Prior to the availability of genetic testing, Huntington's disease (HD) was generally considered to become symptomatic between ages 20 and 40 years. Genetic testing has expanded the age range of HD onset and permitted the diagnosis of individuals later in life, often without an apparent family history of HD. It is not known whether the burden of psychiatric symptoms differs in patients who develop late-onset HD. Hypothesis Older individuals with HD have less severe psychiatric symptoms than those diagnosed earlier in life. Methods HD patients age 60 or over ( n = 18) were compared with HD patients under age 60 ( n = 27) using unpaired t -tests on self-reported psychiatric symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI-18), and quality of life (SF-12). The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered and global severity of HD was rated by clinicians on a 5-point Likert scale. Results Older HD patients reported less BSI-18 depressive symptoms than younger patients (45.7±6.4 vs 54.3±9.8, p vs 48.9±7.9, p = 0.13), and less suicidal ideation ( p = 0.08). The two groups did not differ on severity of anxiety symptoms. Although not significant, older patients reported lower physical health quality of life (49.0±13.3 vs 42.9±13.0, p = 0.33) but better mental health quality of life (36.8±13.8 vs 41.7±12.5, p = 0.23). There was no difference on MMSE or disease severity between groups.