A study of the impact of apoE genotype on risk perception for Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive, irreversible neurological disorder that is characterized by cognitive and behavioral problems. It currently affects millions of Americans in the United States and is expected to significantly increase in prevalence as the age of the population increases. Late onset Alzheimer disease is one of the first complex diseases with a known genetic susceptibility factor and currently presymptomatic genotyping for is not recommended and is not utilized in the risk assessment of individuals who have a family history of AD. The evaluation of how genetic information impacts risk perception of AD is needed. This study explores risk perception in a pre-counseling and post-counseling survey to determine the effects of including genetic information in a risk assessment module for the asymptomatic offspring of individuals diagnosed with late onset AD. This study has important implications for genetic counselors seeking to assess the effects of genotype information on risk perception of complex genetic diseases.