Sex Differences in Huntington's Disease: Evaluating the Enroll-HD Database.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Genetics
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Sex-related differences are crucial for understanding Huntington's disease (HD) prognosis and treatment.
• Investigating these differences can advance personalized medicine in HD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if sex-related differences exist in the clinical presentation of Huntington's disease.
• To compare the progression of motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms between male and female HD patients.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal analysis of 8401 manifest Huntington's disease (HD) patients from the Enroll-HD database.
• Utilized linear mixed models to assess motor, behavioral, and cognitive functioning over four annual visits.
• Compared symptom progression between male and female HD gene carriers.

Main Results:

• Significant sex-dependent differences were observed in motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms in HD patients.
• Females consistently presented with more severe motor symptoms than males over four years.
• Females reported significantly more depressive symptoms, although symptom severity decreased in both sexes over time.

Conclusions:

• Women with Huntington's disease (HD) exhibit more severe symptoms compared to men.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in HD research and clinical care.
• Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms driving these sex-based disparities in HD progression.