Atypical presentations of Huntington disease-like 2 in South African individuals

Abstract

BACKGROUND : Huntington disease-like 2 (HDL2) is a neurodegenerative disorder, affecting only individuals of African ancestry. Full penetrance occurs in individuals with 40 repeats or more. OBJECTIVE : To describe the phenotypic variability of HDL2 in a group of mixed ancestry individuals from South Africa. METHODS : Eight patients were assessed with analysis of repeat size and magnetic resonance brain imaging. We applied the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), but in deceased patients (4), this was estimated from video material. RESULTS : Cognitive domains were more severely affected than motor; UHDRS motor scores were notable for bradykinesia, and to a slightly lesser extent, for rigidity and dystonia; a single patient had marked chorea. Repeat lengths ranged from 45 to 63 (median, 52). CONCLUSION : This South African group of mixed ancestry HDL2 individuals presented with severe cognitive and behavioral impairments, with lesser degrees or absence of chorea. This presentation is possibly related to large repeat sizes.