Genetics: Alzheimer disease.

Informative genetic testing is currently available to only a small number of families with a history of early-onset (younger than 60 years of age) Alzheimer disease (AD). For these families, the benefits of genetic testing are limited and are mainly related to the individual’s perception of the psychological advantages of knowing whether or not he or she is predisposed to develop AD. There remains no cure or effective preventive therapy for AD. Bottom line. Genetic testing is not feasible for most cases of AD at this time. Apolipoprotein E gene variations alone cannot be used to predict future disease occurrence. Rare families with a history of early-onset AD might be eligible for genetic testing, while families with multiple relatives affected with late-onset AD (60 years of age and older) might be eligible to participate in AD research studies. The complete Gene Messenger—Alzheimer Disease by the GenetiKit research team is available on CFPlus.* Past Gene Messenger articles can be accessed on-line at www.cfp.ca. On the home page, click on Collections in the left-hand menu, then click on Genetics.