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Kennedy disease

Other Names:

Disease at a Glance

Symptoms

Causes

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Participating in Clinical Studies

Summary

Kennedy disease is a gradually progressive, neuromuscular disorder characterized by wasting of the proximal muscles (those closer to the trunk) and bulbar muscles (those of the face and throat). The condition mainly affects adult males. Early symptoms may include tremor, muscle cramps, and muscle twitching. This is followed by progressive muscle weakness and wasting, which may manifest in a variety of ways. Other symptoms include gynecomastia, testicular atrophy (reduction in size or function of the testes), and reduced fertility as a result of mild androgen insensitivity. Kennedy disease is caused by a genetic change in the androgen receptor (AR) gene and is inherited in an X-linked recessive manner.Kennedy disease is a gradually progressive, neuromuscular disorder characterized by wasting of the proximal muscles (those closer to the trunk) and bulbar muscles (those of the face and throat). The condition mainly affects adult males. Early symptoms may include tremor, muscle cramps, and muscle twitching. This is followed by progressive muscle weakness and wasting, which may manifest in a variety of ways. Other symptoms include gynecomastia, testicular atrophy (reduction in size or function of the testes), and reduced fertility as a result of mild androgen insensitivity. Kennedy disease is caused by a genetic change in the androgen receptor (AR) gene and is inherited in an X-linked recessive manner.

Resource(s) for Medical Professionals and Scientists on This Disease:

Orphanet provides GARD with information for this disease.
RARe-SOURCE™ offers rare disease gene variant annotations and links to rare disease gene literature.
GeneReviews provides clinical information on genetic diseases, including diagnosis, treatment, and genetic counseling.

About Kennedy disease

Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:

Population Estimate:Fewer than 50,000 people in the U.S. have thisdisease.
Symptoms:May start to appear as an Adult.
Cause:This disease is caused by a change in the genetic material (DNA).
Organizations:Patient organizations are available to help find a specialist, or advocacy and support for this specific disease.
Categories:Genetic DiseasesNeurological DiseasesEndocrine Diseases

When Do Symptoms of Kennedy disease Begin?

Symptoms of this disease may start to appear as an Adult.

The age symptoms may begin to appear differs between diseases. Symptoms may begin in a single age range, or during several age ranges. The symptoms of some diseases may begin at any age. Knowing when symptoms may have appeared can help medical providers find the correct diagnosis.

Prenatal

Before Birth

Newborn

Birth-4 weeks

Infant

1-23 months

Child

2-11 years

Adolescent

12-18 years

Adult

19-65 years

Older Adult

65+ years

Symptoms may start to appear as an Adult.

The types of symptoms experienced, and their intensity, may vary among people with this disease. Your experience may be different from others. Consult your health care team for more information.

The following describes the symptom(s) associated with this disease along with the corresponding body system(s), description, synonyms, and frequency (Note: Not all possible symptoms may be listed):

Nervous System Nervous System

11 Symptoms

The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Common symptoms of problems in the nervous system include trouble moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing, or learning. Problems with memory, senses, or mood may also occur. Nervous system diseases are usually diagnosed and treated by neurologists.

Medical Term

Abnormality of movement

Frequency

Uncommon

Very frequent

Always

Description

An abnormality of movement with a neurological basis characterized by changes in coordination and speed of voluntary movements.

Synonym

Abnormality of movement; Movement disorder; Unusual movement

Open detail view

11 Symptoms

What Causes This Disease?

Genetic Mutations

Kennedy disease is caused by genetic mutations, also known as pathogenic variants. Genetic mutations can be hereditary, when parents pass them down to their children, or they may occur randomly when cells are dividing. Genetic mutations may also result from contracted viruses, environmental factors, such as UV radiation from sunlight exposure, or a combination of any of these. Learn more about genetic diseases from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

If you suspect you may have this disease, you may want to start collecting your family health history. Information such as other family members who have had similar symptoms, when their/your symptoms first appeared, or exposures to any potential disease-causing environmental factors should be discussed with your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.

Can This Disease Be Passed Down From Parent to Child?

Yes. It is possible for a biological parent to pass down genetic mutations that cause or increase the chances of getting this disease to their child. This is known as inheritance. Knowing whether other family members have previously had this disease, also known as family health history, can be very important information for your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.

There are multiple ways, or patterns, a disease can be inherited depending on the gene(s) involved. Based on GARD's current data, this disease can be inherited in the following pattern(s):

X-Linked

X-linked inheritance means the genetic mutation is located on the X chromosome, one of the sex chromosomes. The male sex chromosome pair consists of one X and one Y chromosome (XY). The female sex chromosome pair consists of two X chromosomes (XX). Because males have just one X chromosome, it takes only one copy of the mutated gene to cause the disease. Females that have one copy of the mutated gene may have symptoms similar to those experienced by affected males, but usually have less severe symptoms, or no symptoms at all.

Female parents with one X-linked mutated gene have a 50% chance of passing on the mutation to each of their biological children. Male parents with an X-linked mutated gene will pass on the mutation to all their female children but cannot pass the mutation on to their male children.

Learn more about inheritance patterns from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

How Can Patient Organizations Help?

Patient organizations can help patients and families connect. They build public awareness of the disease and are a driving force behind research to improve patients' lives. They may offer online and in-person resources to help people live well with their disease. Many collaborate with medical experts and researchers.

Services of patient organizations differ, but may include:

Ways to connect to others and share personal stories
Easy-to-read information
Up-to-date treatment and research information
Patient registries
Lists of specialists or specialty centers
Financial aid and travel resources

Please note: GARD provides organizations for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of their services. Please contact an organization directly if you have questions about the information or resources it provides.

View GARD's criteria for including patient organizations, which can be found under the FAQs on our About page. Request an update or to have your organization added to GARD.

Patient Organizations

10 Organizations

Organization Name

Who They Serve

Helpful Links

Country

Cure SMA

People With

Kennedy disease

Helpful Links

Research Registry

Country

United States

Cure SMA Canada

Helpful Links

Helpful Links

Country

United States

Clinical studies are part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances, including for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.

What Are Clinical Studies?

Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:

Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.

Learn more about clinical trials from this U.S. Food & Drug Administration webpage.

Why Participate in Clinical Studies?

People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.

To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.

What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?

ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.

Join the All of Us Research Program!

The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.

What Are Clinical Studies?

Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:

Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.

Learn more about clinical trials from this U.S. Food & Drug Administration webpage.

Why Participate in Clinical Studies?

What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?

Join the All of Us Research Program!

ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.

Search ClinicalTrials.gov for this disease

GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases
Information Center

Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.

1-888-205-2311

Available toll-free Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time
(Except: Federal Holidays)

Contact GARD

Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.

Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.

Search ClinicalTrials.gov for this disease

GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases
Information Center

1-888-205-2311

Available toll-free Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time
(Except: Federal Holidays)

Contact GARD

Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.

Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.

Getting a Diagnosis

Take steps toward getting a diagnosis by working with your doctor, finding the right specialists, and coordinating medical care.

Last Updated: September 2024