Perhaps your grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease; maybe your mom or dad is currently living with the disease. You may be concerned that you are seeing signs of the disease in yourself or a loved one. Whatever the situation, if your family has been touched by Alzheimer’s, it is natural to be curious if a genetic test is valuable in predicting the likelihood of developing the disease. Although the cause of Alzheimer’s is still unknown, scientists have identified a number of genes that impact your risk of developing the disease.
On Thursday, April 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they have approved at-home genetic testing through the 23andMe Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk (GHR) test, which tests for genes associated with risk of 10 diseases or conditions, including late-onset Alzheimer’s. People will be able to send 23andMe a saliva sample and receive their genetic data back through the mail.
We spoke with Keith Fargo, Ph.D., Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association, about what you need to know about this type of testing – and what the results tell (and don’t tell) you.
Two categories of genes influence whether a person develops a disease: risk genes and deterministic genes. Alzheimer’s genes have been found in both categories. Can you explain the difference between these types of genes?
Risk genes increase the likelihood of developing a disease, but do not guarantee it will happen. Deterministic genes directly cause a disease; they guarantee that anyone who inherits one will develop the disorder.
http://blog.alz.org/fda-approves-at-home-test-for-an-alzheimers-disease-…
