Would You Want to Know if Your Were Genetically Predisposed to Alzheimer's
Posted Jul 17 2009 12:19am
Fact or Myth? Knowing you are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's would cause psychological or emotional damage?
Myth.
A new study that is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine dispels this myth.
The researchers found that a genetic test for predisposition to Alzheimer's disease does no psychological harm to people who take it. No harm even if it turns out that you are carrying the risky gene for Alzheimer's--APOE, for apolipoprotein E.
“There has been this extraordinary worry that disclosing risk was going to devastate people,” said Dr. Robert C. Green. “This has upended those assumptions.”
Dr. Green is a professor of neurology, genetics and epidemiology at Boston University, is the lead author of this new study.
There are two excellent articles up on the Internet that discuss this new research study.
To read Learning of Risk of Alzheimer’s Seems to Do No Harm on the New York Times website go here.
To read Learning Alzheimer’s risk may do no harm on the Boston Globe website go here.
Bob DeMarco is an Alzheimer's caregiver and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for advice and insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob taught at the University of Georgia, was an executive at Bear Stearns, the CEO of IP Group, and is a mentor. He has written more than 700 articles with more than 18,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Fact or Myth? Knowing you are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's would cause psychological or emotional damage?Myth.
A new study that is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine dispels this myth.
The researchers found that a genetic test for predisposition to Alzheimer's disease does no psychological harm to people who take it. No harm even if it turns out that you are carrying the risky gene for Alzheimer's--APOE, for apolipoprotein E. Dr. Green is a professor of neurology, genetics and epidemiology at Boston University, is the lead author of this new study.
There are two excellent articles up on the Internet that discuss this new research study.
To read Learning of Risk of Alzheimer’s Seems to Do No Harm on the New York Times website go here.
To read Learning Alzheimer’s risk may do no harm on the Boston Globe website go here.
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