genetics we are worried!

[margaritaadios]

Dear friends how are everyone? I hope you all are doing fine.
Since Mom is been diagnosed dementia my husband is terribly worried on how this disease might affect him and my little boy in the future. I found that there are not many answers about the genetic link some say that the probabilities are 50%. I don’t know how to support or how to help him cope not only with the knowledge that his mother suffer this disease but with the likelihood that he gets it in the future.

Please are any of you suffering this doubts. If you are please share with me your experience my family and I would be ever so grateful.

Yours truly,
Marjorie Bye

 

[Nebiroth]

Two things to keep in mind. First, there does NOT appear to be a strong link between inheritance and dementia. Second, the most common dementia is Alzheimer's Disease and that is predominately (although not exclusively) a disease of the elderly. This means there are decades of medical reasearch between now and your husband entering the time of highest risk, and much longer for than this for your little boy.

 

[cariad]

Hi, about 75% of cases of Alzheimers are sporadic (in other words no history of the disease in the family). Also early onset dementia is more likely than late onset to have a genetic component.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=alzheimerdisease

 

[Skye]

Hi, there's an excellent AS factsheet here.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/Facts_about_dementia/Genetics/info_genetics.htm

 

[Blacksheep]

http://www.itv.com/Lifestyle/KillerInMe/default.html

Just seen an advertisement for this programme on the television. which may be of interest to you?

It airs Thursday evening at 9pm on ITV.

 

[Gwenno]

Thanks for that information. I will be watching the programme.

I too have had to face the possibility that my children may have inherited a gene which carries the terryfying Motor Neurone gene, which has manifested itself in the form of Frontal Temporal Lobe Dementia in my husband. His mother and brother died of MND. Neither affected by FTD.


We were offered genetic counselling. However, I decided that as a family we would not be able to cope with such devestating news if the results came back that any of the children (4) of them were carrying that gene. If there had been a possbility of some therapy or drugs to help this condition we would have decieded to look at genetic counselling. At the present time there is nothing that would stop or even alleviate this condition. This is a form of Demntia that affects only 4% of the population, and reesearch has only just begun on this form of Dementia. I have to live with the fact that my children may develop FTD or MND. A terryfing scenario.

I agree with N that hopefully in the next 30-40 years when the illness may strike my family there will be something that they can do about the situation. To have a test at the present time which might have tested positive for peprhaps one or more of them would be a death sentence that they are not willing to look at. We do not feel that this would be a positive and healthy approach for us as a family to take.

I know that others might feel differently, but unless you are in the exact position that we find ourselves in I would prefer not to recieve hypothetical replies to my comments. I have written this in answer to a specific question and I have answered that as truthfully as I can.

For us as a family we have decided not to take the matter further I reiterate if there was anything or perhaps something that might help us to prepare for a situation which might after all not ahppen, we best continue to live our lives and enjoy them without living in constant fear of what might never take place.

I can only speak of my experience and I hope this has helped.