[Epidemiological aspects of Huntington chorea in the Genoa region from 1930 to 1977 (author's transl)].

As a preliminary approach to an epidemiological investigation of Huntington's disease, the authors report the incidence of admissions of these patients to both Neurological and Psychiatric Departments in Genoa and surrounding region from 1930 to 1977. The number of patients (84 cases) and their family history (225 cases of Chorea in the ancestors) suggest a prevalence of Huntington's disease remarkably higher (about 28 cases out of 100,000 inhabitants) than it is usually estimated. Further studies are however required to assess the distribution of the disease in the whole population of the region.