As part of a research study, volunteers in Arizona are learning their APOE E4 status, and NPR reports that, for some, knowing it is a relief, while for others, it's a cause for concern.
The study, the Generation Program, is enrolling people between the ages of 60 and 75 to test a drug that aims to delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease, NPR says. It adds that, as part of the study, the participants are learning their APOE E4 status: about a quarter of people with one copy develops Alzheimer's, while 55 percent of those with two copies do. The volunteers, it notes, spoke with a genetic counselor to receive their results.
A handful of research participants also spoke with NPR. Prior to learning her results, Rubie tells NPR that she's "apprehensive" as her mother had Alzheimer's as have some of her friends, but after learning she has one copy, Rubie says she's "glad to know" as it "takes the mystery out of it." However, David tells NPR prior to learning his results that he was prepared to know them, but after he says he realized that even though he has one copy, Alzheimer's also runs in his wife's family, meaning his children could still have an even higher risk.