Problems of differential diagnostics of Huntington's disease and schizophrenia (clinical case)

Problems of differential diagnostics of Huntington's disease and schizophrenia (clinical case)

 

Authors

 

A.E. Pershina

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

Yu.N. Borodyuk

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

V.V. Tiguntsev

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

A.A. Agarkov

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

E.V. Gutkevich

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

E.G. Kornetova

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

 

https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2025-1(126)-107-114

 

Journal: Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. 2025; 1 (126):  107-114.

 

Abstract

Background. Huntington's disease (HD) is an orphan disease with an average prevalence of 5.5 per 100 thousand population worldwide, characterized by an autosomal dominant type of inheritance, complete penetrance and a steadily progressive course with subsequent disability. The clinical picture of HD is described by a triad, which includes movement disorders, cognitive impairment and psychopathological symptoms. Diagnosis of the onset of HD often causes significant difficulties, since in many patients mental disorders can precede motor disorders. In this case, the likelihood of erroneous diagnosis of an endogenous disease, in particular schizophrenia, increases. Objective: to study the current problems of differential diagnostics of Huntington's disease and schizophrenia based on the analysis of a clinical case. Results and Discussion. The article presents a clinical case of a 33-year-old patient of a psychiatric hospital with schizophrenia and an adverse family history, demonstrating the difficulties of differential diagnostics of Huntington's disease with schizophrenia. Due to a hereditary burden on the father's side, a history of motor disorders, and a decrease in cognitive functions, Huntington's disease was presumably diagnosed, but this diagnosis was excluded due to a negative DNA test result. The diagnosis was: paranoid schizophrenia, the observation period is less than a year (ICD-10 code F20.9), which was confirmed by clinical-anamnestic and clinical-psychopathological methods (hallucinatory-paranoid symptoms in the anamnesis, increasing apathoabulic syndrome, disturbance of social adaptation and thought disorder, a positive response to treatment in the form of stabilization of the mental state, reduction of stiffness).

 

Keywords: Huntington's disease, orphan diseases, schizophrenia, differential diagnostics, movement disorders.

 

Article (pdf)

 

Contacts

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Materials  

For citation: Pershina A.E., Borodyuk Yu.N., Tiguntsev V.V., Agarkov A.A., Gutkevich E.V., Kornetova E.G. Problems of differential diagnostics of Huntington's disease and schizophrenia (clinical case). Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.2025; 1 (126): 107-114. https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2025-1(126)-107-114

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