Huntington's Disease is caused by a dominant gene. The symptomsdo not appear until middle age( age 40-45). There is a gradualdegeneration of the nervous system which leads initially to muscletremors. Death usually occurs within 10-15 years after theappearance of the initial symptoms due to deterioration of thenervous system.
As the human genome is typed, more and more tests are availableto determine if a person carries a gene like this one for whichthere is no treatment or cure.
Using the information above, respond to the questions below.
a. If your family(Mother or Father) had a history of a geneticdisorder like this one, would you choose to get tested for it? Whyor why not?
b. Would the results of the tests influence your decision tohave children? Explain.
c. Besides yourself, whom would you want to have access to thetest results? Explain.
d. Who should not have access? Why not?
