Old medication brings new hope to the Huntington’s community

When I first read about a recent study from the University of Iowa, which showed that a common heart drug may slow the progression of Huntington’s disease, my heart skipped a beat. My wife, Jill, battles Huntington’s, which has been our family’s greatest challenge — mainly because there’s been so little progress toward finding a cure.

But this study feels different. We’re talking about beta-blockers, medications that doctors have been prescribing for heart conditions for years. They’re already proven safe and affordable, which makes this discovery even more meaningful for families like mine.

The researchers looked at data from over 21,000 people with Huntington’s, which gives me confidence in the findings. What especially caught my attention was the way beta-blockers might help Huntington’s in two crucial ways: they could delay the first appearance of symptoms in people who have the Huntington’s gene but aren’t yet symptomatic, and they might slow the progression in people who are, including Jill.

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Jordan Schultz, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of psychiatry, explained that beta-blockers block norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter and hormone involved in the “fight or flight” response.

That makes sense to me. I’ve noticed how Jill sometimes seems more tense than before, even when she’s resting. Learning that this heightened state might be contributing to the disease’s progression — and that beta-blockers might help control it — gives us a new perspective on treatment possibilities.

Possibilities mean hope

The study’s findings about slowing the worsening of motor, cognitive, and functional symptoms particularly resonate with me. Every small victory in maintaining Jill’s abilities is precious to us. While Schultz cautiously notes that they haven’t yet proven cause and effect, the fact that the team found benefits for patients at different stages of Huntington’s offers hope for everyone in the disease community, whether they’re in Jill’s situation or still in a presymptomatic phase.

What makes me most optimistic is that beta-blockers are already well-understood medications. We’re not talking about experimental drugs that might take a decade to reach patients. The research team’s plan to conduct clinical trials specifically for Huntington’s is encouraging, and I hope Jill might have the opportunity to participate.

While I understand we need to be patient for more research to confirm these findings, this study represents something precious for our family: hope.

It’s hope that we might’ve found another tool in our fight against this disease, hope that we might be able to slow down its relentless progression, and hope that other families facing this devastating disease might have more options for treatment. For now, I’ll be discussing these findings with Jill’s neurologist at our next appointment.

Note: Huntington’s Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Huntington’s Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Huntington’s disease.