Huntington's Disease

Predictive Testing in Children

It is generally believed that pre-symptomatic testing should not be conducted in at-risk children who are under the age of 18 years. Once individuals are aged 18 or older, they have the choice to receive testing based on a personal, informed decision. An exception may be made for children with symptoms characteristic of HD; this provides a reasonable medical basis for conducting diagnostic rather than predictive testing in children. In such cases, genetic testing is provided in association with a thorough clinical evaluation. (See "Clinical evaluation.")