Comments on: Awesome Genetic Announcements

By: jeltch james m maasin

jeltch james m maasin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:39:59 +0000

i would like to . you want to experiment my self to make me I M strong

By: Annie

Annie — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:04:42 +0000

Well, bioephemera, the risk of being uninsured and unemployed is still there even if the knowledge of the genetic risk is worth it. I happened upon this blog while doing some online research on my BRCA 2 mutation (1983del5). Forget about changing jobs (and insurances), I worry about post-retirement health insurance. I am insured now through my job and, supposedly, I can keep that insurance at retirement until I reach the age where I am eligible for medicare. But, at what cost? By keeping this insurance, I avoid the issue of preexisting condition. But this is an insurance company well aware of my risks. I suspect my premiums will be substantial. So, does it make sense to have prophylactic surgery now? I have had prophylactic bilateral oophorectomies; my mother had ovarian cancer. So I ask myself: should I get prophylactic mastectomies before I retire so that I can reduce my cancer risk in case I don’t have insurance later? What a difficult question to answer!

By: bioephemera

bioephemera — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:22:16 +0000

Cool – I’ll look forward to your answer. Hope your exams went well!

By: Bertalan Meskó

Bertalan Meskó — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:42:21 +0000

Sorry for the late answer, I had to finish my preventive medicine exam.

This comment is going to lead to a whole post about the subject. So thank you: it was the most valid comment in the last months.

By: bioephemera

bioephemera — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:34:04 +0000

Bertalan, as always your optimism is inspiring! As a geneticist, I hope you’re right that personalized genomics will lead to personal health empowerment. But we need to figure out a few practical issues first – especially in the US, where quality health care is not a public service. There is a real risk here that knowing one’s genetic risks could lead to being uninsured and unemployed. That might be worth it if a serious disease could be prevented; but in some cases, there is no preventative treatment. If I have a high risk for something controllable like heart disease, I can change my diet and exercise, but what can I possibly do about early-onset Alzheimers, or bipolar disorder, other than living in dread until the disease manifests (or doesn’t)? I’d like to hear your thoughts on how we should handle situations when genetic testing turns up a high risk of diseases for which we still have few therapeutic options.