Now available in the Brazilian Netflix catalog, the 5th season of Virgin River is a huge success on the platform! Full of twists and turns, the new episodes confirm that Denny – Kai Bradbury’s character – is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. So the public wants to know: what does this mean?

“Mel is adjusting to a different pace of life. Jack works to grow the business. New revelations and threats shake Virgin River,” says the synopsis for season 5 of Virgin River on Netflix.

One of the most popular series streaming, Virgin River is based on the books by Robyn Carr. Martin Henderson (Grey’s Anatomy) and Alexandra Breckenridge (American Horror Story) lead the cast.

Have you watched the 10 episodes of the 1st part of the 5th season of Virgin River on Netflix? Find out what Huntington’s disease is and what it means for Denny below! (via Looper)

Denny suffers from Huntington’s disease in Virgin River

In the series Virgin River, one of Netflix’s biggest hits, Denny is the grandson of Doc Mullins. The character is played by Canadian actor Kai Bradbury.

When Denny is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, he tries to accept the news with optimism. At the same time, he fears the diagnosis will harm his relationship with Lizzie.

So, what is Huntington’s disease? According to the medical website MSD Manuals, the condition is described as “an inherited condition, which begins with occasional jerks or spasms and then progresses to more pronounced involuntary movements, mental deterioration, and death.”

In other words: it is a very dangerous disease, which can even lead to the death of the patient. Bad news for Denny!

The character’s situation is further complicated by the fact that Huntington’s disease is incurable. Treatment, most of the time, is only palliative. As the disease progresses, the patient experiences considerable decline, which in many cases ends in death.

According to UCSF Health, Huntington’s disease is quite rare. About 2.7 people out of 100,000 suffer from this disease. In the United States, the disease affects approximately 15,000 Americans.

Denny’s case is even rarer! After all, the diagnosis of Huntington’s disease is usually only made between the ages of 30 and 50.

As the character develops the disease at a much younger age, his illness is “juvenile Huntington’s disease”, marked by a much more rapid decline and even more intense symptoms.

The first episodes of season 5 of Virgin River are now available on Netflix.