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My mother suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s and so I have considered—albeit briefly—to take a predictive test for such an illness. But I wound up deciding against, mostly because I didn’t want the knowledge to alter my life.
But most people are not like me, according to a new survey out of the Tufts Medical Center. Apparently 76 percent of the 1,463 respondents would take a hypothetical test for Alzheimer’s, breast or prostate cancer, or arthritis. And they are willing to pay for it. Up to $600.
Responses varied depending on type of illness, cost and accuracy of the prediction. Willingness to be tested was greatest for prostate cancer (87 percent,) then breast cancer (81 percent,) then Alzheimer’s (72 percent.)
Interestingly, older respondents, women and those with higher academic degrees were less likely to take a test. Living with the knowledge of the disease and lack of preventive measures were reasons given for declining.
Faced with a positive test result many respondents noted that they would change their behavior, like spend more time with loved ones, put finances in order and travel more.
Hm, it’s food for thought isn’t it? What would you do?
—Christie Nicholson
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6 Comments
Add CommentIt's not as though the information from predictive tests cannot be used constructively. It can be useful in planning various aspects of ones life such as choosing work benefit options, estate planning and selecting treatment options for other existing conditions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLet's consider that if tested you are told you will contract cancer later in life. What can you do with that knowledge assuming that you currently are healthy and cancer free? One cannot treat a prediction.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWould your quality of life now be forever altered? I suggest it would. Now also consider what would happen when/if your insurance carrier becomes aware of this projection. You would undoubtedly have your coverage cancelled. What now when you need standard medical care?
I think this is a pandora's box best left closed.
Not until we know for sure that the provisions of the new health care law are going forward. It would be awful to know you are going to need care but have no way to prepare or pay for that since your insurance will be canceled...NEVER MIND that you have been paying in for years!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne would be foolish not to understand the logical end result in having the ability to predict most or all future medical conditions, without legal protections from disclosure: It is the ability of insurance companies to blackball the as yet unborn from any medical insurance during their lifetime.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know many people who have worked all their lives and saved money for their retirements only to died a few months later or be afflicted by some degenerative disease. If we took this predictive test and found some disease in our future maybe we would enjoy today and not worry about the future. I myself am enjoying my youth and health. I don't want to save all my money so I can sit in some fancy nursing home waiting to die.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIsn't it interesting that Obamacare is already removing most of the insurance based risk from this kind of testing while still preserving the (so far) limited benefits? As knowledge of these diseases increases, preventive measures become more practical and give greater weight to predictive testing. If there was a real preventative or cure for Alzheimers I'd get the test in a heartbeat. Until then I'd rather not know.
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