Probability of Obsessive and Compulsive Symptoms in Huntington’s Disease

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the probability of obsessive and compulsive (OC) symptoms across stages of Huntington’s disease (HD) with both cross sectional and longitudinal data. Methods We present the largest sample to date of individuals at risk for HD (N = 3964). Obsessive and compulsive symptoms were assessed with the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale OC items. Results The probability of meeting the threshold for obsessions and compulsions increased with greater disease severity. Those with no motor abnormalities (“at risk”) had a 7% probability of obsessions and a 3.5% probability of compulsions; the peak probability for obsessions (24%) and compulsions (12%) occurred in patients with advanced disease with significant functional disability. Conclusions The probability of OC symptoms is more than three times greater by stages 3 and 4 (clearly manifest disease) than in our at-risk group with no apparent motor abnormalities.