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Swede

(37,410 posts)
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 09:44 AM Wednesday

Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time, doctors tell BBC

Some good news.

Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time, doctors tell BBC

🤖 BBC Breaking News (unofficial) (@bbcbreaking-bot.bsky.social) 2025-09-24T11:06:45.878Z


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevz13xkxpro
21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time, doctors tell BBC (Original Post) Swede Wednesday OP
This a very terrifying disease.... FarPoint Wednesday #1
It's been 50 years Dear_Prudence Wednesday #2
This is spectacular SickOfTheOnePct Wednesday #3
Wow. That's a miracle. Science is a miracle. Scrivener7 Wednesday #4
Don't tell RFK Jr. lame54 Wednesday #5
Wow peggysue2 Wednesday #6
That's great and all but TlalocW Wednesday #7
This is such great news karin_sj Wednesday #8
UK healthcare: We've created a way to treat Huntington's disease / US healthcare: We've created a new medical bill ck4829 Wednesday #9
How long before we start to see on our hospital bills Aristus Wednesday #17
Healthcare is free in the UK. ShazzieB Wednesday #18
This is amazing dflprincess Wednesday #10
Advances don't come from deportations or denying student visas. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Wednesday #11
good . AllaN01Bear Wednesday #12
Fantastic news! Martin68 Wednesday #13
Way cool! liberalla Wednesday #14
This made me cry. We recently lost a dear patient with Huntingtons. Maru Kitteh Wednesday #15
That's the one Woody Guthrie died of. ananda Wednesday #16
K&R ReRe Wednesday #19
I have a cousin who is in an advanced stage of this disease . . . markpkessinger Wednesday #20
Along with the obvious help for patients with Huntingtons disease. Prairie_Seagull Wednesday #21

FarPoint

(14,231 posts)
1. This a very terrifying disease....
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 09:53 AM
Wednesday

For the patient and anyone who is a caregiver and or family.... So debilitating....

Sounds like this treatment is in the CRISPR technology advancements...

Dear_Prudence

(878 posts)
2. It's been 50 years
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 10:14 AM
Wednesday

Since I worked as a certified nurses' aid, but some residents are seared in my memory. One resident was a farmer, a strong giant of a man, in the late stage of Huntingtons. His dementia left him volatile and sometimes violent. So, unlike other residents, he did not receive the degree of human comfort provided by staff to other residents. I remember his wife visiting, sobbing as she left while walking down the hall. Half of children inherit the disease, so the pain to any family must be unbearable. At the time, I was a young struggling Catholic and I looked it up in the library's Catholic encyclopedia. The view offered for those couples affected by this disease was that birth control was still wrong, so spouses should avoid physical contact. That was when I knew, for the first time, that the Church was not delivering the love, mercy, wisdom of Jesus. This news is heartening, knowing scientists are making some progress, providing some slim measure if hope to families.

SickOfTheOnePct

(8,671 posts)
3. This is spectacular
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 10:16 AM
Wednesday

Such a devastating disease for the patient and those who care for/love them.

peggysue2

(12,189 posts)
6. Wow
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 10:38 AM
Wednesday

A successful treatment for a really terrible disease.

The wonders of medical research are evolving so quickly. The thought that this therapy could eventually delay or even stop the disease process in those patients yet to see symptoms--the Huntington-0 stage patients from the article--is a stunning prospect.

Three cheers and applause for science!

karin_sj

(1,251 posts)
8. This is such great news
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 11:13 AM
Wednesday

The mother of one of my close friends in high school had it, although I didn't know it at the time. I just remember her being very volatile and scary. You never knew when she was going to get angry about something. My friend had two sisters and three brothers. She died in her early 50s from Huntington's and her two sisters also died from it. I'm so glad that they are making progress in treating this horrific disease.

ck4829

(37,105 posts)
9. UK healthcare: We've created a way to treat Huntington's disease / US healthcare: We've created a new medical bill
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 11:22 AM
Wednesday

where we can measure the breaths a patient takes and charge them for the oxygen they use. Score!

Aristus

(70,966 posts)
17. How long before we start to see on our hospital bills
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 12:09 PM
Wednesday

a charge for “Just In Case We Forgot Any Frivolous Charges”?

ShazzieB

(21,664 posts)
18. Healthcare is free in the UK.
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 12:18 PM
Wednesday

The NHS doesn't bill anyone a penny for anything. In the US otoh...

dflprincess

(29,036 posts)
10. This is amazing
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 11:24 AM
Wednesday

And let's remember that the right wing likes to tell us that medical advances don't come from countries with universal care.

Maru Kitteh

(30,711 posts)
15. This made me cry. We recently lost a dear patient with Huntingtons.
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 12:05 PM
Wednesday

What a blessing this will be for so many families.

ananda

(33,342 posts)
16. That's the one Woody Guthrie died of.
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 12:05 PM
Wednesday

I remember Arlo Guthrie had to take the test
and turned out not to have it.

He showed Woody in the hospital bed where
he and his mother Marjorie were visiting,
maybe in Alice's Restaurant.

It was pretty awful.

markpkessinger

(8,859 posts)
20. I have a cousin who is in an advanced stage of this disease . . .
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 02:30 PM
Wednesday

. . . I hope this treatment can be made available soon enough to help her.

Prairie_Seagull

(4,376 posts)
21. Along with the obvious help for patients with Huntingtons disease.
Wed Sep 24, 2025, 02:45 PM
Wednesday

In the linked BBC article it appears there is an implication for hope to others.

Prof Tabrizi says this gene therapy "is the beginning" and will open the gates for therapies that can reach more people.
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