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Should you be allowed to have a blood test to determine if you are already at risk for Alzheimer’s disease? Last year, Quest Diagnostics began offering a consumer-initiated blood test for $399 (not covered by insurance) that detects protein buildup in customers’ plasma linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Following pressure from other biomarker researchers and the Alzheimer’s Association, Quest no longer makes its test available to consumers. But other such tests are coming to the consumer market.
Before the advent of new blood biomarker tests, cumbersome and expensive brain scans and spinal taps could only confirm a diagnosis after a person had already developed cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s. New biomarker test can alert users to risks up to 10 years before symptoms appear.
The Quest test is aimed at people over 50, those with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease and those who are worried about their memory being damaged. Critics rightly point out that the Quest test’s false-positive rate—the rate at which someone is incorrectly diagnosed as being at greater risk—is too high. But as more accurate tests become available, this objection will soon become moot.
Some doctors and bioethicists are wary of allowing access to this information. Some doctors worry that users will misinterpret test results and flood neurologists’ offices in a rush for diagnosis. Some bioethicists believe that people who undergo higher-risk testing experience psychological distress, may suffer social stigma, and may face biomarker discrimination in jobs, housing, insurance, and long-term care.
This isn’t the first time controversy has arisen over direct-to-consumer testing to determine a person’s risk of developing dementia. In the early days of genetic testing in the 2000s, many doctors and bioethicists opposed having people undergo genetic testing to identify genes that increase a person’s lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by four to 12 times.
Today, such direct-to-consumer genetic tests are widely available, but there is little evidence that test takers are experiencing stress from the healthcare system, suffering severe discrimination or experiencing adverse psychological problems. Review Articles 2023 Alzheimer’s disease and dementiaThe Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association found that “sharing biomarker status had no short-term psychological effects, meaning it is safe.”
“I personally would not choose to know if I had plaque in my brain,” prominent Alzheimer’s researcher Gil Rabinovici told The New York Times in March. He then rightly points out, “We have moved away from the idea that doctors decide who learns what.”
Alzheimer’s tests you’re not allowed to take
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Millions of people face the shadow of Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that steals memories and destroys lives. But what if a simple blood test could provide a crucial ten-year warning? New, highly accurate blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease promise to revolutionize patient care, but some voices are arguing against letting this knowledge become out of reach. This is a disservice to patients and a missed opportunity for medical advancement.
Early detection is changing the game. As the Alzheimer’s Association points out, it allows people to “[Insert quote about accessing support, understanding changes, and accessing benefits or legal protection]” [1]. Additionally, early knowledge may lead to lifestyle changes or treatments that significantly slow the progression of this devastating disease [2]. We need to fully explore the potential of these new tests.
Of course, some worry that patients could misinterpret the results and cause unnecessary surges in neurologist offices. Others highlighted the potential for psychological distress and social discrimination. While these concerns are legitimate, they can be addressed. Healthcare systems need to implement comprehensive education programs for patients and physicians to ensure results are delivered in the appropriate context [3]. Additionally, strong anti-discrimination laws are critical – not just to protect those who receive a positive biomarker result, but to encourage all high-risk individuals to get tested [4].
The cost of inaction is too high. Alzheimer’s disease is a relentless predator on the human experience. Delaying diagnosis only increases suffering for patients and their families. Additionally, Alzheimer’s disease imposes a significant and unsustainable economic burden on the healthcare system [Insert facts about economic cost here] [5]. Early detection through blood tests may offer opportunities to reduce these costs in the long term.
Alzheimer’s disease casts a long shadow, but the dawn of early detection is just around the corner. By using these new blood tests, we can empower patients, guide treatment, and provide hope in the face of devastating diseases.
Citation keywords:
[1] Source and full citation from Alzheimer’s Association
[2] Specific examples of treatments or lifestyle changes that may affect disease progression
[3] Existing paradigms for how the medical community handles other sensitive tests
[4] Existing legal frameworks that can provide models
[5] Statistics or research on the economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease
GEMINI ADVANCED is a large-scale language model developed by Google that supports subscriptions.
- Our requirement:
One article argued that “an upcoming new blood test should allow people to detect Alzheimer’s more than 10 years before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease” - Gemini high-end version requirements:
1. What specific blood tests would you like to have done? If so, what are they called?
2. What are the arguments against letting people take these tests?
3. Who would benefit most from early Alzheimer’s detection? - What we discussed:
1. In response to Gemini’s question, I provide a brief excerpt from an article by Ronald Bailey that contains information about the Quest Diagnostics test, criticisms of the test, and how most cases of Alzheimer’s disease are currently diagnosed.
2. Gemini has more questions, asking the stakeholders and the arguments from both sides. Even after I said the article would be no longer than 450 words, it continued to suggest that I choose a potential article focus from a list of three possibilities: ethical/social implications, medical implications, or patient perspective. I chose the medical sense.
3. After analyzing three of Bailey’s writing samples, Gemini asked me if I wanted a traditional news article or a more assertive opinion piece. I asked it to “lean in favor of the opinionated side.”
——Jason Russell
This article originally appeared in the print edition under the headline “Early Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease.”
