Objective The survival of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients is reported to be 15–20 years. However, most studies on the survival of HD have been conducted in patients without genetic confirmation with the possible inclusion of non-HD patients, and all studies have been conducted in Western countries. The survival of patients with HD in East Asia, where its prevalence is 10–50-fold lower compared with Western populations, has not yet been reported.
Methods Forty-seven genetically confirmed Korean HD patients from independent families were included in this retrospective medical record review study.
Results The mean age at onset among the 47 patients was 46.1 ± 14.0 years. At the time of data collection, 25 patients had died, and these patients had a mean age at death of 57.8 ± 13.7 years. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the median survival from onset in the 47 patients was 14.5 years (95% confidence interval: 12.3–16.6). None of the following factors were associated with the survival time in the univariate Cox regression analysis: gender, age at onset, normal CAG repeat size, mutant CAG repeat size, and the absence or presence of non-motor symptoms at onset.
Conclusion This is the first Asian study on survival in HD patients. Survival in Korean HD patients may be shorter than that reported for Western populations, or at least is in the lower range of expected survival. A larger longitudinal observation study is needed to confirm the results found in this study.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Analysis of HTT CAG repeat expansion among healthy individuals and patients with chorea in Korea Ryul Kim, Moon-Woo Seong, Bumjo Oh, Ho Seop Shin, Jee-Soo Lee, Sangmin Park, Mihee Jang, Beomseok Jeon, Han-Joon Kim, Jee-Young Lee Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.2024; 118: 105930. CrossRef
Clinical and Genetic Characteristics Associated With Survival Outcome in Late-Onset Huntington’s Disease in South Korea Yun Su Hwang, Sungyang Jo, Gu-Hwan Kim, Jee-Young Lee, Ho-Sung Ryu, Eungseok Oh, Seung-Hwan Lee, Young Seo Kim, Sun Ju Chung Journal of Clinical Neurology.2024; 20(4): 394. CrossRef
A Practical Guide for Clinical Approach to Patients With Huntington’s Disease in Korea Chaewon Shin, Ryul Kim, Dallah Yoo, Eungseok Oh, Jangsup Moon, Minkyeong Kim, Jee-Young Lee, Jong-Min Kim, Seong-Beom Koh, Manho Kim, Beomseok Jeon Journal of Movement Disorders.2024; 17(2): 138. CrossRef
Increased 10-Year Prevalence of Huntington’s Disease in South Korea: An Analysis of Medical Expenditure Through the National Healthcare System Chan Young Lee, Jun-soo Ro, Hyemin Jung, Manho Kim, Beomseok Jeon, Jee-Young Lee Journal of Clinical Neurology.2023; 19(2): 147. CrossRef
Clustering and prediction of disease progression trajectories in Huntington's disease: An analysis of Enroll-HD data using a machine learning approach Jinnie Ko, Hannah Furby, Xiaoye Ma, Jeffrey D. Long, Xiao-Yu Lu, Diana Slowiejko, Rita Gandhy Frontiers in Neurology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Survival in Huntington’s disease and other young‐onset dementias Samantha M. Loi, Paraskevi Tsoukra, Emily Sun, Zhibin Chen, Pierre Wibawa, Maria di Biase, Sarah Farrand, Dhamidhu Eratne, Wendy Kelso, Andrew Evans, Mark Walterfang, Dennis Velakoulis International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Functional Intercellular Transmission of miHTT via Extracellular Vesicles: An In Vitro Proof-of-Mechanism Study Roberto D. V. S. Morais, Marina Sogorb-González, Citlali Bar, Nikki C. Timmer, M. Leontien Van der Bent, Morgane Wartel, Astrid Vallès Cells.2022; 11(17): 2748. CrossRef
Huntington's disease: Mortality and risk factors in an Australian cohort Emily Sun, Matthew Kang, Pierre Wibawa, Vivian Tsoukra, Zhibin Chen, Sarah Farrand, Dhamidhu Eratne, Wendy Kelso, Andrew Evans, Mark Walterfang, Dennis Velakoulis, Samantha M. Loi Journal of the Neurological Sciences.2022; 442: 120437. CrossRef
Huntington’s disease in Turkey: genetic counseling, clinical features, and outcome Yesim Sucullu Karadag, Busranur Erozan Cavdarli, Rabia Nazik Yuksel Neurological Research.2021; 43(5): 381. CrossRef
Validation of diagnostic codes and epidemiologic trends of Huntington disease: a population-based study in Navarre, Spain Esther Vicente, Ainara Ruiz de Sabando, Fermín García, Itziar Gastón, Eva Ardanaz, María A. Ramos-Arroyo Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Epidemiology of Huntington disease in Cyprus: A 20‐year retrospective study C.A. Demetriou, A. Heraclides, C. Salafori, G.A. Tanteles, K. Christodoulou, Y. Christou, E. Zamba‐Papanicolaou Clinical Genetics.2018; 93(3): 656. CrossRef
Population-specific genetic modification of Huntington's disease in Venezuela Michael J. Chao, Kyung-Hee Kim, Jun Wan Shin, Diane Lucente, Vanessa C. Wheeler, Hong Li, Jared C. Roach, Leroy Hood, Nancy S. Wexler, Laura B. Jardim, Peter Holmans, Lesley Jones, Michael Orth, Seung Kwak, Marcy E. MacDonald, James F. Gusella, Jong-Min L PLOS Genetics.2018; 14(5): e1007274. CrossRef