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Would you want to know your diseases?

Would you have your DNA tested?

  • Yes

    Votes: 15 78.9%

  • No

    Votes: 4 21.1%
  • Total voters
    19
heehee

heehee

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 31, 2006
2,469
235
Same country as Santa Claus
Would you have your DNA tested for diseases? Cancer, tumour, Alzheimer’s?

My dad had a brain tumour and we asked his Neurosurgeon if it's heredity. He told us we can have it tested, but he also warned us even if it's in our genes, there is nothing we can do to prevent it. I'm having this debate to see if I want to know. :confused:
 
I wouldn't want to know, but by the same token my wife does.

Her family suffers from a kidney ailment that causes kidney failure - its completely hereditary and if you have the gene your kidneys will fail. She decided to be tested to see if she has this problem which she does not (thank God).
 
That's a tough one, especially for those with families. Though I am single still, I am not sure if I would want to know or not. I'm leaning toward not knowing and just take it as it comes.
 
SandboxGeneral said:
That's a tough one, especially for those with families.
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My wife wanted to know just for the sake of our girls. If she didn't have the gene that caused the disease, then our girlies would not get it. Thankfully she doesn't have it as I mentioned.
 
maflynn said:
My wife wanted to know just for the sake of our girls. If she didn't have the gene that caused the disease, then our girlies would not get it. Thankfully she doesn't have it as I mentioned.
Click to expand...

My wife and I are planning to have children in the next couple of years, that's another thing to think about as well.
 
I would. Always better to know than be blindsided. And it may be true there is nothing that can be done to prevent it today, but as medical technology progresses faster than it ever has before, there could be something you could do to prevent it in the future.

Sorry to hear about your father. :(
 
This is obviously an extremely personal thing but I would absolutely want to know. I like to plan my life to some degree and if it has an early expiry date I'd want to factor that in. Besides, ignorance isn't bliss, and if I had "the big C" I'd start getting bad headaches and all the rest of it before I go anyway, the only difference is I wouldn't have time to prepare for it.

That's my take on things at least.
 
The results only gives you the odds of getting the disease. The stress from hearing my high chances of getting a stroke might trigger a stroke in me.:eek: I'd rather not get caught in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe it's from forced to read WAAaaayyy to many Greek tragedies in school. Besides, I like surprises.:cool:
 
My girlfriend and I had a long talk about this last night, about diseases and problems that can run in families. There's nothing at all in my family, and hers don't get on well with smoking (but still do).

But my uncle's (not blood related) father had Huntington's disease. Both my uncle and his sister got to their 50's and thought they dodged a bullet. But then his sister was diagnosed with it and he's having a couple of out-of-character moments. Which is worrying. He hasn't had any tests done to confirm it but just decided to live the best he could whilst he could.

It's inspiring and scary.
 
Dagless said:
My girlfriend and I had a long talk about this last night, about diseases and problems that can run in families. There's nothing at all in my family, and hers don't get on well with smoking (but still do).

But my uncle's (not blood related) father had Huntington's disease. Both my uncle and his sister got to their 50's and thought they dodged a bullet. But then his sister was diagnosed with it and he's having a couple of out-of-character moments. Which is worrying. He hasn't had any tests done to confirm it but just decided to live the best he could whilst he could.

It's inspiring and scary.
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Huntington's is such a devastating disease, especially since it's untreatable. Yet if my family had a history of it, I would definitely rather get tested (and potentially find out my death sentence) than risk unwittingly passing it on to children. With other diseases where the certainty/risk is more complicated, I'm not as sure... Maybe try lifestyle modifications/being familiar with warning signs to reduce risk factors to the greatest extent possible, but possibly delay testing..?

To the OP, I would definitely consider finding/talking to a genetic counselor who is well-versed in the issues surrounding genetic testing, and could help you make an informed decision.
 
No, because I can be a bit of a hypochondriac sometimes, and for example, if I knew that I was going to get testicular cancer, I'd be worried that I had cancer every time my balls itch.
 
Daffodil said:
Huntington's is such a devastating disease, especially since it's untreatable. Yet if my family had a history of it, I would definitely rather get tested (and potentially find out my death sentence) than risk unwittingly passing it on to children. With other diseases where the certainty/risk is more complicated, I'm not as sure... Maybe try lifestyle modifications/being familiar with warning signs to reduce risk factors to the greatest extent possible, but possibly delay testing..?
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It's funny (in a way) that I never looked at it like that. He never had kids of his own, so I guess he might have known the risk.
I can see why someone would not want to get checked out for that particular one. There's nothing you can do so, beyond knowing the warning signs and having the family prepared for it there's nothing you can really do.
 
Daffodil said:
To the OP, I would definitely consider finding/talking to a genetic counselor who is well-versed in the issues surrounding genetic testing, and could help you make an informed decision.
Click to expand...

This is such an important point for so many different reasons. First and foremost is insurance - in the US we're protected by the pre-existing condition rule for health insurance (for now) but this doesn't apply to long-term disability insurance or other forms of insurance. If you're getting tested for a potentially debilitating genetic disease, having long-term disability insurance is important, and you'll have to have it before you get tested and get the diagnosis. There are a ton of other considerations also - emotional, family (what if your kids, siblings, etc do not to be tested and by you getting tested, they may indirectly find out if they have the disease or are at risk), and so forth. Genetic counsellors are experts in this area and are an absolute must for anyone considering genetic testing. Hopefully there are no physicians or clinicians out there that would test someone without first having them see a genetic counsellor, but I'm sure these people exist in addition to the commercial/internet labs that would likely provide tests directly to patients.
 
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As a rule, you can run, but you can't hide. Someday you will deal with it. The pro of knowing is that with early knowledge you might be able to do something about it. The con is that if it's likely fatal or extremely delibitating, you'll have just thrown away a few years of ignorant bliss. I tend to think the former is the best choice.
 
heehee said:
Would you have your DNA tested for diseases? Cancer, tumour, Alzheimer’s?

My dad had a brain tumour and we asked his Neurosurgeon if it's heredity. He told us we can have it tested, but he also warned us even if it's in our genes, there is nothing we can do to prevent it. I'm having this debate to see if I want to know. :confused:
Click to expand...

Yes, I like to have everything planned out.

The more you know, the better you can prepare.
 
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