If neither of my parents have HD can I get it?

Q. Hello, I was wondering if neither of my parents nor grand parents had Huntington’s disease is it possible for me to have it?

Rodney, Young Adult, USA

A. Hi Rodney,

Thank you for your question. It would be very unlikely indeed that you have HD if neither your parents nor grandparents have it. This is because almost all individuals with HD have inherited the gene from a parent who also has symptoms of HD. However, we cannot ever exclude the possibility as in rare cases the gene change that causes HD happens for the first time in an individual, in which case there would not necessarily be a family history of HD in their parents/extended family.

I hope this helps answer your question, but please get back in touch if you have any further queries. I wondered if you had specific concerns that prompted your question and we would be very happy to hear from you about these if so.

Best wishes

Bill