The first signs of HD usually appear in middle age. The person may appear to undergo some personality changes, such as mood swings, apathy, depression, or anger. As HD progresses, personality changes can include irritability, temper tantrums, violent outbursts, paranoia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In addition to personality changes, HD causes motor problems and cognitive difficulties. Motor problems include clumsiness, decrease in coordination, slurred speech, difficultly swallowing, poor balance, problems walking, and chorea.
Cognitive difficulties often appear later in the progression of the disease. These include memory, mental flexibility, fluency of thought, organization, poor communication, and mental strategy.
