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Substance abuse may be a risk factor for earlier onset of Huntington disease

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Abstract

Environmental factors may contribute as much as one-third of the variance in Huntington disease (HD) age of onset. Substance abuse is a risk factor for other neurodegenerative disorders; however, whether substance abuse influences HD age of onset is not well established. This study investigated the relationships between alcohol, drug, and tobacco abuse and HD age of onset in 136 participants with symptomatic HD. CAG repeat length was used as a covariate in all analyses, as it represents the most significant determinant of HD age of onset. The relationship between substance abuse, HD age of onset, and sex was also examined, as women may experience greater medical harm from substance abuse. Lifetime alcohol abuse and lifetime drug abuse were associated with earlier age of HD onset; a similar trend was seen for current tobacco abuse. For women, lifetime alcohol abuse was associated with earlier onset of HD, with a similar trend for lifetime drug abuse. However, alcohol, drug, and tobacco abuse were not significantly associated with age of onset in men. Further work is needed to determine whether substance abuse is a causative risk factor for earlier onset of HD, and why the environmental factors associated with age of onset vary by sex.

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Conflicts of interest

Dr. Beglinger, Dr. Moser, and Dr. Gonzalez-Alegre have no conflicts of interest. This study was not sponsored. Dr. Byars received an American Psychiatric Association (APA)/Lilly Resident Research Award for this manuscript; this award did not fund the study, but rather was an award for best unpublished manuscript by a psychiatry resident. APA/Lilly played no role in the design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. Dr. Nopoulos received an honorarium from Janssen as a mentor of Dr. Byars in the context of Dr. Byars receiving an APIRE/Janssen Resident Psychiatric Research Scholars grant.

Ethical standards

All human studies must state that they have been approved by the appropriate Ethics Committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, W278 GH, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Joanne A. Byars, Leigh J. Beglinger, David J. Moser & Peg Nopoulos

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, HSC Box 100236, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0236, USA

    Joanne A. Byars

  3. Department of Neurology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, 3111 MERF, 375 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre & Peg Nopoulos

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Peg Nopoulos

Authors
  1. Joanne A. Byars
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  2. Leigh J. Beglinger
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  3. David J. Moser
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  4. Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre
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  5. Peg Nopoulos
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Correspondence to Joanne A. Byars.

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Byars, J.A., Beglinger, L.J., Moser, D.J. et al. Substance abuse may be a risk factor for earlier onset of Huntington disease. J Neurol 259, 1824–1831 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6415-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6415-8

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