Body weight and dietary factors in Huntington's disease patients compared with matched controls.

A longitudinal study using medical records has confirmed that, even when eating high energy diets, loss of body weight is characteristic of Huntington's disease patients in comparison with a group of matched control subjects. Further analysis showed that although some Huntington's disease patients initially may gain weight rapidly after a period in hospital, they eventually lose weight to below their admission levels. This pattern was not seen in the control group. The findings are discussed in terms of striatal pathology.