Charlotte, NC - Charlotte has been selected as the site of the 7th Annual Huntington Study Group Clinical Research Symposium, which is expected to attract leading scientists and medical professionals from throughout the world.
Workshops preceding the symposium include networking for regional doctors and health care providers, continuing education for medical professionals, and training programs for service providers, caregivers and local practitioners.
The symposium will feature reports on the latest research on Huntington's disease, an inherited brain disorder that affects control of movement, thought and behavior.
Following the symposium will be an interactive community workshop, including discussions between patients, their families and researchers.
Workshops and the symposium will be held November 7-9 at the Omni Hotel in Charlotte.
Over 30,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Huntington's disease, or HD, and over 250,000 others are at risk of having inherited HD from a parent.
No treatment has been found to halt or slow the progressive loss of mental faculties and physical control from HD, which typically results in death 15 to 25 years after onset of motor signs of the disease. HD can strike at any age, typically beginning between age 35 and 45.
"There is something you can do about Huntington's disease," explains Dr. Mary Edmondson, president of HD Reach, a North Carolina-based nonprofit that works to help all patients and families gain access to knowledgeable health care and resources to manage the disease.
"We can treat symptoms," she says. "There are things you can do now to make life better."
With funding available to support research and development, "there's never been a more encouraging time than right now. Delivering that message to patients, families and physicians is critical," she says.
"The international symposium in Charlotte provides an excellent opportunity for us to increase HD awareness and continue moving forward in discovering treatments," says Edmondson, a clinical associate in psychiatry at Duke University.
The symposium will be hosted by Huntington Study Group (HSG) an international network of clinical researchers who study and care for patients and families with Huntington's disease.
HD Reach is one of the event sponsors.
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Contact Information:
Mary C. Edmondson, MD
President, HD Reach
Email: info@hdreach.org
Phone: 919.803.8128
www.hdreach.org
Shari Kinel
Executive Director, Huntington Study Group
Email: shari.kinel@hsglimited.org
Phone: 585.319.3591
www.huntington-study-group.org
