Would you like to know how you'll die?
Scientists are a step closer to developing a test able to predict if someone .
The simple blood test would be able to give a result up to ten years before any symptoms begin to show. About 35 million people across the world suffer from Alzheimer's - a form of dementia with symptoms which include severe memory loss. There is currently no cure for the disease.
Some see such tests as the perfect opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes to help delay the onset of illness. For other diseases, such as hereditary forms of breast cancer, testing can lead to prevention. , a cancer survivor, is a fervent supporter:
Some Fridays are now reserved for meeting with other doctors about genetic testing. Sometimes I spend hours trying to explain to other physicians why I feel this is an important test that needs to be offered more frequently. There is a lot of opposition. They worry that the patient won't really understand. They don't have the time to explain the significance. They fear that the patient may be discriminated against by insurers. Over and over I hold steady. I would rather know and so do a lot of other patients like me.
Others see such tests not only pointless but dangerous. When there is no form or cure or prevention, as is the case with Alzheimer's and other diseases such as Huntington's, is knowledge power or is it simply a case of curiosity killing the cat? Quite literally.
For those like Huntingdon's sufferer the test has defined his future:
I will not escape Huntington's. The only way I won't get sick is if I die suddenly from something else, such as being hit by a car. There is no cure, but scientists in Denmark and the United States are developing drugs to suppress the symptoms. That is my only hope
So would you like to know how you'll die? Perhaps you or someone close to you has confronted the dilemma of 'to test or not to test'? Let us know what your views are here or on our Facebook page.
