Huntington’s Disease: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

  • General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
    • Inspection (viewing).
      • Skin, mucous membranes
      • Eyes: sclerae (white part of the eye); atypical eye movement?
      • Rigidity (muscle rigidity)?
    • Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due todifferential diagnoses: ischemic or hemorrhagic infarcts].
    • Examination of the lungs
      • [due topossible secondary diseases:
        • Aspiration pneumonia (pneumonia caused by inhalation of foreign substances (often stomach contents)).
        • Pneumonia (pneumonia)
        • Respiratory insufficiency (respiratory failure; disorder of external (mechanical) respiration)]
      • Auscultation (listening) to the lungs [pneumonia].
      • Bronchophony (checking the transmission of high-frequency sounds; the patient is asked to pronounce the word “66” several times in a pointed voice while the doctor listens to the lungs)[increased sound conduction due to pulmonary infiltration/compaction of lung tissue (e.g. e.g. in pneumonia) the consequence is, the number “66” is better understood on the diseased side than on the healthy side; in case of decreased sound conduction (attenuated or absent: e.g. in pleural effusion, pneumothorax, emphysema). The result is, the number “66” is barely audible to absent over the diseased part of the lung, because the high-frequency sounds are strongly attenuated]
    • Examination of the abdomen (abdomen)
      • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, kidney bearing knocking pain?).
  • Neurological examination
    • [due tosymptoms:
      • Ataxia (disturbance in the sequence of movement).
      • Chorea (involuntary rapid sweeping movements).
      • Dysarthria (speech disorders)
      • Coordination disorders]
    • [due todifferential diagnoses: see “differential diagnoses”/psyche – nervous system]
    • [due tosecondary diseases: dementias of all kinds]
  • Psychiatric examination
    • [due tosymptoms and sequelae:
      • Anxiety disorders
      • Depression
      • Insomnia (sleep disorders)
      • Lack of concentration
      • Panic disorder
      • Obsessive-compulsive disorder]
    • [due todifferential diagnosis:
      • Psychosis]

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.