You're going to die of...

[Draka]

As genetic testing improves and the ability to test for certain genes which can determine your likelihood of developing certain diseases and conditions improves, the easier it will become to simply take a test to determine exactly what you could die or suffer from later in life.

Would you want to know?

If one simple test was offered for you that would tell you exactly if you have any of the genes for particular forms of cancer or Alzheimer's or Huntington's or any other variety of debilitaing or fatal diseases, would you take it? or would you rather not know?

 

[MSizer]

If they tell me I'll die of cancer, but I die first in a car accident, can my wife get any compensation for the misdiagnosis?

In seriousness though, I'd rather know, so I may prepare myself to either fight it as best I can or get things in order for my loved ones before it's too late.

 

[Demonic Kitten]

I have to agree with MSizer on this. I would rather know ahead of time instead of sit in the dark.

 

[Draka]

I just thought of something else. If this kind of testing became a regular thing, wouldn't it affect insurance availability and rates? I mean, as soon as it was in your medical file that you carry the gene for, say, Parkinson's, wouldn't it completely affect an Insurance company's willingness to cover you or how much and what they will cover for you? You'd be considered a bad risk right from the get-go.

 

[Marco19]

if we are not going to use the science in issues,
so what for we use it then?

 

[KatNotKathy]

I just thought of something else. If this kind of testing became a regular thing, wouldn't it affect insurance availability and rates? I mean, as soon as it was in your medical file that you carry the gene for, say, Parkinson's, wouldn't it completely affect an Insurance company's willingness to cover you or how much and what they will cover for you? You'd be considered a bad risk right from the get-go.

If we still have insurance companies by the time we have such technology, then we have learned nothing

 

[MSizer]

I just thought of something else. If this kind of testing became a regular thing, wouldn't it affect insurance availability and rates? I mean, as soon as it was in your medical file that you carry the gene for, say, Parkinson's, wouldn't it completely affect an Insurance company's willingness to cover you or how much and what they will cover for you? You'd be considered a bad risk right from the get-go.

Yup, absolutely. It opens so many cans of worms. I was at a presentation a few weeks ago where a philosopher was saying he hopes for the day when everybody's genome is taken at birth and that way no matter where you are, if you need medical attention, you simply show your card and they read your DNA. Advances in science are going to force us to make huge changes in the way we do things in the future. I fear that conservatism and religious doctrines will try to resist those changes, but the issues will face us, and they'll need to be addressed.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

As genetic testing improves and the ability to test for certain genes which can determine your likelihood of developing certain diseases and conditions improves, the easier it will become to simply take a test to determine exactly what you could die or suffer from later in life.

Would you want to know?

If one simple test was offered for you that would tell you exactly if you have any of the genes for particular forms of cancer or Alzheimer's or Huntington's or any other variety of debilitaing or fatal diseases, would you take it? or would you rather not know?

Absolutely I'd want to know. Many genetic conditions can be treated, and with conditions like cancer or Alzheimer's disease, the earlier treatment starts, the better the prognosis. If I'm a high-risk candidate for some disease and need a special form of screening now, I'd want to do it.

Also, even for a completely untreatable condition, I'd want to know. It might affect my care for other things that come up, and if it's serious enough, it might affect my decisions about whether to have children.

However... if I lived in a land of private health insurance, would I want my insurer to know about the results of these tests? If they might result in me being dropped for a "pre-existing condition", then probably not.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Absolutely I'd want to know. Many genetic conditions can be treated, and with conditions like cancer or Alzheimer's disease, the earlier treatment starts, the better the prognosis. If I'm a high-risk candidate for some disease and need a special form of screening now, I'd want to do it.

I agree 100%! I was wondering if anyone would being up the fact that many of the hereditary illnesses one acquires in their old age can be prevented.

If you are prone to diabetes you can beat it before it attacks by watching your diet in many cases. Stay off the booze, avoid desserts, and check your blood sugar before you need to.

If you are prone to cancer you might avoid the use of tobacco in any form. Don't buy that house by the nuclear power plant. Limit your time in the sun.

If you are prone to heart attack or stroke, you may want to adjust your diet. Learn to deal with stress differently. Exercise more. Quit smoking or don't start to begin with.

Sure, you could make changes to prevent the illness you are supposed to get and still get it anyway, but it would lessen your chance. As suggested, you may get hit by a bus or die in a fire before your illness even set in. I guess at that point you wouldn't really know you had been taking care of yourself for no reason then.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I'd rather not know, but given the high fatality rate in both my mom's and dad's family from heart disease, and cancer from my dad's family, I already have a good idea.

 

[Charity]

I would defintely want to know. It's not easy to fight something if you don't know what your fighting.....It might change the outcome putting the odds in your favor...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I would defintely want to know. It's not easy to fight something if you don't know what your fighting.....It might change the outcome putting the odds in your favor...

I say: Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.

- Sun Tzu

 

[Smoke]

I always think it's better to have information. For instance, knowing that you may be more likely to get a certain kind of cancer may actually help you avoid or survive that cancer. Knowing that you may be more likely to get Alzheimer's may help you get treatment earlier and arrange your affairs to deal with that eventuality.

 

[dust1n]

I'm the only one who voted no? Really?

I don't really care. I will just die one day. And BAM.. over.. no longer important in the slightest bit.

 

[Draka]

I'm the only one who voted no? Really?

I don't really care. I will just die one day. And BAM.. over.. no longer important in the slightest bit.

I took some time before voting in my own poll, so now you're not the only "no". I suppose maybe it would entirely depend on what the results were on whether or not I'd want to know. If I could just test for things I may have some control over, like breast cancer (I could get a pre-emptive double masectomy) then I might be up for it. But in the case of testing for everything and just finding out that I'm very highly likely to get an excruciating incurable debilitating disease that will reduce me to painfully and sadly losing my ability to function physically and/or mentally...I think I'd rather not know. I think I'd start to define myself by what my future holds for me. I would be constantly thinking about my inevitable degeneration. That's not something I'd like to think about and if I knew it was a great possibility, it's most likely ALL I'd think about. That's no way to really live.

 

[StevieHummingbird]

I would like to know, to fix it now...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I took some time before voting in my own poll, so now you're not the only "no". I suppose maybe it would entirely depend on what the results were on whether or not I'd want to know. If I could just test for things I may have some control over, like breast cancer (I could get a pre-emptive double masectomy) then I might be up for it. But in the case of testing for everything and just finding out that I'm very highly likely to get an excruciating incurable debilitating disease that will reduce me to painfully and sadly losing my ability to function physically and/or mentally...I think I'd rather not know. I think I'd start to define myself by what my future holds for me. I would be constantly thinking about my inevitable degeneration. That's not something I'd like to think about and if I knew it was a great possibility, it's most likely ALL I'd think about. That's no way to really live.

If it's a genetic condition, then this implies it's hereditary. Wouldn't you want to know before you had kids whether you'd be passing an excruciating incurable debilitating disease on to them? Maybe it would convince you to have kids by in vitro with donor eggs. Maybe it would convince you not to have kids at all.

Even setting aside the potential for passing the disease on to my future kids, if I knew that I'd be dead or completely debilitated by the time they were 10 years old, say, I think I'd probably decide not to have children. And I think that if I had the opportunity to know whether this might be the case, I'd consider it my responsibility to find out.

 

[Erebus]

I would definitely want to know... Simply out of morbid curiosity...

 

[Baydwin]

Absolutely I'd want to know. Many genetic conditions can be treated, and with conditions like cancer or Alzheimer's disease, the earlier treatment starts, the better the prognosis. If I'm a high-risk candidate for some disease and need a special form of screening now, I'd want to do it.

Also, even for a completely untreatable condition, I'd want to know. It might affect my care for other things that come up, and if it's serious enough, it might affect my decisions about whether to have children.

However... if I lived in a land of private health insurance, would I want my insurer to know about the results of these tests? If they might result in me being dropped for a "pre-existing condition", then probably not.

Um, get out of my head please.

 

[Smoke]

I will just die one day. And BAM.. over..

Yeah, if you're lucky. My uncle, grandmother, and great-grandfather all died of cerebral hemorrhages, and the one who took the longest to die was gone in six hours. That's not how it works with cancer, emphysema, or lupus, though.