At-risk persons' attitudes toward presymptomatic and prenatal testing of Huntington disease in Michigan.
One hundred fifty-five individuals at 50% risk of inheriting Huntington disease (HD) were given a questionnaire surveying their sociodemographic characteristics, experience with HD, and attitudes toward presymptomatic and prenatal testing in HD. About two-thirds (63.2%) of the persons indicated they would take a presymptomatic test even if no specific treatment was available. Although one-half (49%) of the respondents stated they would make use of a prenatal test, only 43% of these individuals would decide to terminate a heterozygous fetus. Presymptomatic test results indicating carrier status would influence some of the respondents' decisions about marriage and childbearing. This strong interest of at-risk persons to make use of both presymptomatic and prenatal diagnosis in HD indicates the need for well-organized testing programs. These programs must be designed to address the genetic, psychosocial, and ethical issues that may arise in the use of this type of genetic test.
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires