Has anyone ever heard of being hot as a an result of HD. My mother who moves some is hot all the time. She never wants to wear a coat, always is flushed and has a constantly runny nose that she is blotting with a tissue.

I am starting to wonder if this is not HD related. We asked her doctor about it and she did not seem to think it was HD related.

Any ideas???

Could it be a hot flash? Or allergy? I've not heard of being hot as a symptom of HD.

My husband's aunt was the same way. She never wanted it warm in the house and always wanted a fan on around her. We always chalked it up to a complusive disorder related to HD.

It seems that perception of temperature is affected by HD in many people. There are MANY reports of families having problems over the thermostat. I've heard of HD patients complaining of being hot when everyone else is cold and vice versa.

It's not a "symptom" of HD as much as it is a result of the brain damage caused by HD. Not everyone experiences it. That's why a doctor would dismiss it.


Steve

My husband always has to have a fan running when he sleeps. It started out one summer when he said he was too warm but has progressed to being a year round thing. He will pile on blankets, comforters, sleeping bags, you name it to stay warm. I don't know how he can sleep in his bed the covers are so heavy. In this case I believe he needs the "white noise" the fan makes to make him feel secure.

Hi Denise

Over the years people have written about the extreme symptoms of either being too hot or too cold in some people with HD. My daughter, Kelly, had JHD and was ALWAYS hot and in times of stress, she would sweat profusely [with water pouring in rivers from her knees] which, with Kelly, served as an advanced warning to the onset of a seizure in mid-stage JHD.

I've had friends with HD over the years who have experienced either an oversensitivity to heat or the cold. One dear friend had to post a warning on her front door to call first, or she could answer the door naked as she never wore clothes while at home ;-) Others would get very chilled with the slighest variation in temperature.

In the later stage of JHD, Kelly developed periodic episodes of high, unexplained, fevers. This was in the 90's and, of course, every doctor would indicate it had nothing to do with HD.

Then I found a response to a question on unexplained fevers and HD on the MGH HD Forum from a well known physician caring for HD patients. After doing some searching on exactly the functions of the hypothalamus I finally could "see the light"

Below is a bunch of "scientific" information supporting symptoms of extreme reaction to heat or cold when damage is done to the hypothalamus. The more searching I did, the more I questioned. I wrote "Hypothalamus - A Personal Theory" which can be read on my old JHD site, if you're interested:
[endoflifecare.tripod.com]

I hope this helps you know you're NOT going nuts feeling you're the only one experiencing these hot or cold symptoms!

Love
Jean E. Miller
HDSA CoE at USF
Patient Advocate
Clearwater, FL.
HD Links: [get-me.to]


Hypothalamus & Huntington's Disease

Herwig W. Lange, MD. NTC a well recognized physician treating HD from
Dusseldorf/Cologne wrote the following on the old MGH HD Forum 4/7/97:

"If fevers caused viral and bacterial causes are excluded, the fever probably is caused by a malfunction of the hypothalamus, an area in the brain which shrinks during the course of HD. It loses about 15% in volume. This hypothalamic atrophy makes the brain vulnerable to the effects of dopamine, as seen in cases of malignant neuroleptic hyperthermia in patients with HD, a very serious complication of neuroleptic drugs.

Reading that, back then, led me to this scientific study that discusses the "thermostate" control of the hypothalamus:

Textbook in Medical Physiology And Pathophysiology
Essentials and clinical problems
Copenhagen Medical Publishers 1999 - 2000
[www.mfi.ku.dk]

Chapter 6. - The Autonomic Nervous System And Disorders

The Thermocontrol

Thermoreceptors can initiate generalised reactions to heat and cold. The signals from both superficial and deep thermoreceptors must act through the hypothalamus to arouse appropriate, generalised reactions.The anterior hypothalamus is responsible for sensing blood temperature variations. The anterior hypothalamus, in particular the preoptic area, has been shown to contain numerous heat-sensitive cells and less cold-sensitive receptors. Such central thermoreceptors are also found at other levels of the CNS. After destruction of the hypothalamus, the midbrain reticular formation takes over the temperature control. Sections eliminating both the hypothalamus and the mesencephalon leave the medulla and spinal cord to control temperature. The posterior hypothalamus does not contain thermoreceptors. Concerning thermocontrol see also Chapter 21.

Chapter 21
The cranial temperature (tympanic and nasal)

The main control of temperature is performed by the anterior hypothalamus, which has a high bloodflow. Within the cranium the hypothalamus lies over the Circle of Willis, which supplies it with blood, and close to the cavernous sinus which drains it. Hypothalamus elicits heat loss responses when stimulated by heat. The tympanic membrane and areas in the nasal cavity (the anterior ethmoidal region, part of the sphenoid sinus) are supplied with blood from the internal carotid artery just like the hypothalamus. These cranial locations then serve as a substitute for the measurement of the inaccessible hypothalamic temperature.

Emotional sweating

This is a paradoxical response in contrast to the thermal sweating of thermoregulation. Emotional stress elicits vasoconstriction in the hands and feet combined with profuse sweat secretion on the palmar and plantar skin surfaces.

7. The human thermo-control system

Human temperature control exhibits both dynamic gain and set point characteristics. The control system implies widespread cutaneous and deep sensors. Their afferents converge towards the hypothalamic integrator, which acts as a thermostat. The hypothalamus also contains thermosensors in the preoptic region, and inhibitory neurons perform crossing inhibition (Fig. 21-12).

Fig. 21-11: Thermoregulation by dynamic gain and set point systems.

A rise in hypothalamic temperature causes vasodilatation in the skin and reduces muscular tone. The person looses motivation for physical activity and reduces clothing. Then thermal sweat is observed, and after some time, reduced activity of the adrenal cortex and of the thyroid gland is also observed.

A fall in hypothalamic temperature by cooling of the shell and core releases cutaneous vasoconstriction together with increased muscular tone and shivering. There is a sympathetic activation with secretion of catecholamines, oxidation of fatty acids and glucose, and increased secretion of the thyroid and adrenal gland. The muscle tone is increased, and shivering is triggered reflexly as asynchronous muscle contractions without external work (movements), so all the metabolic energy is released as heat. The capacity for muscular thermogenesis by shivering is high. Up to five folds basal metabolic rate is observed, which corresponds to heavy industrial work.

Dear Jean Thank You for this info. For about 6 months now my mom has been having bouts of being too hot or too cold . The last month the bouts of cold have increased a great deal. I have come up with an answer to her ? when am I going to get warm ? I tell her it will take about an hour mom . So far this has been the amount of time required for that little internal temperature gauge to work . I had read somewhere info. similar to your own . Of course every time I have a hot flash ; I think is this just a hot flash or a HD sympton .I am slightly teasing . Anyways a very good Post . db

Thanks so much for all these responses. It just confirms what I already thought was going on.

My next question would be, if someones internal thermometer is being affected or damaged, is there anything that can be done? What kind of doctor would you see for something like this? Are there any medications that could help regulate the internal thermometer?

I have a call into my mom's neurologist, but would like to hear how others have solved this. I took my mom to a movie yesterday so I got to spend a lot of time with her. She is physically uncomfortable from being hot. We live in Minnesota and I actually turned on the fan in the car so she could get relief.

Any ideas??? I am going to continue to do research and will update you all if I figure anything out.

You didn't mention whether she'd had her thryroid checked Years ago my husband was cold all the time and it turned out to be caused by an underactive thryroid. It just takes a simple blood test to find out.

Marg

My daughter is in the advanced stages of HD and she has also been Hot all of the time and will not wear a coat or sleep under any cover no matter what the temperature is. It very difficult to see her go out with no coat and sleep this way (she only wears a top). However it does help to know that others experience this side effect of HD. Just wanted to share. Thanks

I just wanted to mention I also read another reason one can get hot is because if muscles are constantly contracting it is creating energy and that creates the increase in heat.So many things a body has to deal with. Know wonder people with HD are tired . db