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Genetic Testing For Alzheimer's Essay

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Genetic Testing For Alzheimer's Essay
“You have Alzheimer's”. Anyone would fear ever having to hear those words. But would you want to know if you carried the Alzheimer's gene? “Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions” (Mayo Clinic). Although Alzheimer's mostly occurs in the elderly, it can sometimes arise in a person's 30s. When a person is being tested for Alzheimer's:
“There is a blood test for APOE-e4, the strongest risk gene for Alzheimer's, this test is mainly used in clinical trials to identify people at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. Carrying this gene mutation only indicates a greater risk; it does not indicate whether a person will develop Alzheimer's or whether a person has Alzheimer's” (Tests for …show more content…
It can tear a family down and ruin a person's life. But would knowing you have it early-on be beneficial or devastating? Controversy will always surround the idea of genetic testing. Knowing you carry the gene for Alzheimer's can help prepare yourself for your overwhelming future. If you have close friends or family, you could also help prepare them and educate them about your disease. On the same note, if you have a lifelong ambition you would like to accomplish, you could prioritize to reach your goal. Although there is no known way to stop the effects of Alzheimer's there is a way to subside the effects of it. Exercising can help to lag the effects of Alzheimer's. “Studies show that people who are physically active are less likely to experience a decline in their mental function and have a lowered risk of developing Alzheimer's disease” ("Alzheimer's Disease: Can Exercise Prevent Memory Loss?"). This would be very valuable to an individual who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Some might say that knowing you have an incurable disease can affect adolescents, even adults, life in a negative way. On the other hand, wouldn't it be worse to be left in the dark about whether or not you possibly have the
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