23 ms·

My grandmother had Parkinson's and it was awful. How long until I can go to the doctor, get some blood drawn, and see if I'll develop it one day?

• PaulKeeble 3y ago
  You could do a genetic test, Parkinsons has well associated genetic markers and consumer level companies can do testing of this (and others). 23 and me have a bit on it. https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/parkinsons-disease/ https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/parkin...
  • Palomides 3y ago
    it's not a trivially heritable disease, genetic testing can't tell you with any real confidence if you'll develop symptoms edit: you may be able to contact a parkinson's genetics counselor specialist which may be more useful
  • mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
    Although if 23andme say you don't have the genes, you might still have them. Also they'll probably sell your data.
• EvanAnderson 3y ago
  What would you do if you found out you would? (I ask as someone whose great-grandfather, great-uncle, and grandfather all had Parkinson’s.) I’ve avoided any testing because, as far as I know, there’s nothing preventative to be done. I’d love to hear otherwise. I’ve broached the subject with my last two primary care physicians and both advised that there was no point in knowing.
  • melling 3y ago
    Yes, the age old debate of knowing versus not knowing. I think I’ll skip it because it’s not productive. However, I will point out that your average billionaire with a few decades of advanced notice might be willing to fund research: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2022/12/09/exclusive-google-cofounder-sergey-brin-has-quietly-donated-more-than-1-billion-toward-this-one-specific-disease/?sh=5c972b8c4d59 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2022/12/09/exclusiv...
  • nisegami 3y ago
    I think if you find out young enough you can probably try to follow a different trajectory in life. Maybe abstain from stuff like finding a partner, having kids, buying a home or saving for retirement. Make plans to end up in circumstances where you're eligible for MAID and just vibe until you're ready to use it.
    • c3534l 3y ago
      Well, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed exceptionally young. Most people only suffer when they're of retired age.
  • c3534l 3y ago
    That's a good question. I'm not sure. But it feels like something I'd want to either prepare myself for or just have the relief it won't happen to me.
  • Barrin92 3y ago
    >What would you do if you found out you would? There's quite a few big decisions to make, no? Preparing financially, making plans for when you're going to retire or what to do before, whether you want to have kids and put them through this, and so on. If I found out I had a degenerative disease at the very least I'd opt for an egg or sperm donation and not delay having kids. You probably don't want to be in declining health while they're growing up.
    • zabzonk 3y ago
      > I'd probably opt for an egg or sperm donation so that any kids produced would have a high probability of having the disease too?
      • Barrin92 3y ago
        no, so that they don't have a high probability of having a disease because I'd not be passing it on. How did you read anything else into that statement?
        • giantg2 3y ago
          It could be more clear. Something like "use a donor". "Donation" can go either way (giving or receiving).
  • techwiz137 3y ago
    If you know for certain, then you might do things you otherwise wouldn't. E.g decide to have children or not, plan a will. Live life to the max. Potentially get a head start on treatment if one were ultimately available, even if super experimental and maybe even not working in the end. Honestly, there are many reasons to know beforehand and not a lot of reasons to not know.
    • agsnu 3y ago
      Ignorance is bliss
    • SnowHill9902 3y ago
      Parkinson’s does not prevent any of those.
    • m3kw9 3y ago
      So if you gonna die anyways you won’t live life to the max? Probably better off not finding out and live life to the max without the thought of it
      • Tagbert 3y ago
        Things like deciding when to retire. You might want to retire earlier and spend time doing things instead of waiting to retire to get maximum retirement payout.
        • m3kw9 3y ago
          But will you really enjoy your days with that cloud over your head, if I were to choose I wouldn’t want to know
  • FollowingTheDao 3y ago
    > I’ve avoided any testing because, as far as I know, there’s nothing preventative to be done. I’d love to hear otherwise. Parkinson's is a nutritional disorder combined with genetic risk. Zinc and Parkinson's https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125092/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125092/ Pyridoxine (B6) and Parkison's https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajmg.b.30198 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajmg.b.30198 Riboflavin and Parkinson's https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.00333/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.0033... Nutrition and Parkinson's https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02938409 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02938409 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2014.00036/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2014.0003... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0074774217300430 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00747... https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12883-014-0212-1 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12883-014-0212-1
  • giantg2 3y ago
    There are lifestyle factors that are supposed to slow the onset and progression. Granted most of those, like exercise, are supposed to be things we do anyways.
  • Workaccount2 3y ago
    Pick up a nicotine addiction. Seriously, it has long been understood that people who smoke have dramatically lower levels of parkinsons. It comes from the neuroprotective properties of nicotine. You don't have to become a smoker, you could theoretically use any of the other forms (vape, gum, patch)
    • victor106 3y ago
      https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/smoking-and-parkinsons-disease/ https://www.apdaparkinson.org/article/smoking-and-parkinsons... Smoking and Nicotine addiction are still bad.
      • Workaccount2 3y ago
        You don't have to smoke cigarettes to get nicotine. Using a patch just gives you nicotine in a very safe way, and nicotine itself isn't particularly harmful.
      • caeril 3y ago
        Nicotine is wonderful. 2mg and 4mg lozenges are readily available, you don't have to take up smoking to get it. It's excellent for many, many things: cognition, focus, appetite control, positive habit formation, etc. Addiction is literally its only downside.
    • jjfoooo4 3y ago
      Curious if you have any links to support lower incidence of Parkinsons for smokers. I found this, which states that nicotine does not slow the disease once started: https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/nicotine-patch-not-beneficial-parkinsons https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/nicotine-patch-not-benefici...
      • Workaccount2 3y ago
        I'd encourage you to just search google scholar for "nicotine and parkinsons" there are dozens and dozens of studies. It's been well established for decades now, as it stood out, especially in the past, that cigarette smokers weren't developing parkinsons as expected. Here is a recent meta study though: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167494315300364 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01674... There have also been numerous studies that have found that starting nicotine once symptoms begin is too late, with little or no effect. It is hypothesized that there is some critical point that once crossed, nicotine no longer has an effect. Parkinsons is believed to slowly develop over years or decades, and nicotine stunts this early progression.