The International Huntington Association

A Global Effort to Help People with Huntington's Disease

The International Huntington Association (IHA) is a federation of national voluntary health agencies that share common concern for individuals with Huntington's Disease (HD) and their families. Each agency promotes lay and professional education; individual and family support; psycho-social, clinical and biomedical research; and ethical and legal considerations related to Huntington's Disease in its respective country.

Huntington's Disease (HD) is a neurological disease for which there is presently no known cure of effective treatment. HD causes gradual physical  emotional and cognitive deterioration. Symptoms include involuntary jerking movements of the limbs, face and trunk; increasing difficulty with communication, swallowing and walking; problems with planning, organisation and initiating, as well as personality change.

The disease usually strikes in the prime of life (age 30-45) and may appear earlier or later. Every child of an HD parent has a 50:50 risk of inheriting this genetic disease. There is a gradual deterioration over 10 to 25 years, leading to total incapacitation and eventual death.

The logo at the top of this page is the symbol of the international fight against Huntington's Disease. It is a diagram of a head and shoulders, representing the threat of Huntington's Disease to both mental and physical capabilities. The reduced size of the inner image indicates their diminution in the sufferer.

This symbol design appears as the flower of a growing, vibrant plant, and is protected within its leaves. The purpose, growth and development of the International Huntington Association is thereby illustrated, together with the increasing worldwide concern that this disease shall be tamed.

Meet the IHA Board of Directors

Purpose and history of IHA