Beginning

We were very concerned about the same issue. My husband was 59 when diagnosed, but we had no prior family history of the disease (he comes from a very large family). We were told that there can be a genetic component, but that it isn't clear except for a certain type of early onset disease. My husband is participating in a study, and his DNA has been studied. The results of that study is not available to the patient, however, and we were told that if we wanted to see if my husband's DNA showed links to the genetic markers that have been identified so far that we would need to have our own study done. We discussed this further with the doctors, and they said (1) that new information is being learned all the time. They might discover new genetic markers five years from now, so that any information we got today would probably have only limited value; (2) having this information might affect insurance, the way our kids viewed their future, etc., and could be damaging to them; and (3) if they developed Alzheimers at the same age as their Dad, it was still so far away that it was probable at the rate of research that there would be additional medicines or a cure by that time. We were told that the kids should just have their medical history and be sensitive to the symptoms, as with any other family medical problem such as heart disease, high cholesteral or high blood pressure, a family history of cancer, etc. The PBS movie "The Forgetting" provided some good info on the genetic research.

I'm one of those people who feels a little better and a little more in control by doing research, research, research. (I hope that my postings are sometimes helpful -- unfortunately, I know I won't have much control over the situation and I've got a lot to learn the hard way as my husband leaves the early stage...)