Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 14 Story Street, 4th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA.
Department of Health Policy and Management, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge Building, Room 402, Boston, MA 02115 USA.
Alzheimers Res Ther. 2013 Sep 6;5(5):43. doi: 10.1186/alzrt206. eCollection 2013.
Research is underway to develop an early medical test for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
To evaluate potential demand for such a test, we conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey of 2,678 randomly selected adults across the United States and four European countries.
Most surveyed adults (67%) reported that they are "somewhat" or "very likely" to get an early medical test if one becomes available in the future. Interest was higher among those worried about developing AD, those with an immediate blood relative with AD, and those who have served as caregivers for AD patients. Older respondents and those living in Spain and Poland also exhibited greater interest in testing. Knowing AD is a fatal condition did not influence demand for testing, except among those with an immediate blood relative with the disease.
Potential demand for early medical testing for AD could be high. A predictive test could not only advance medical research, it could transform political and legal landscapes by creating a large constituency of asymptomatic, diagnosed adults.
目前正在研究开发一种用于阿尔茨海默病（AD）的早期医学检测方法。
为了评估对这种检测方法的潜在需求，我们对美国和四个欧洲国家的 2678 名随机成年人进行了横断面电话调查。
大多数接受调查的成年人（67%）表示，如果未来有这种早期的医疗检测方法，他们“有些”或“非常可能”会接受检测。那些担心自己会患上 AD 的人、有直系亲属患有 AD 的人、以及有过 AD 患者护理经验的人对此类检测更感兴趣。年龄较大的受访者以及居住在西班牙和波兰的人对检测也表现出了更大的兴趣。除了那些有直系亲属患有这种疾病的人之外，了解 AD 是一种致命疾病并不会影响检测的需求。
对 AD 的早期医学检测的潜在需求可能很高。预测性测试不仅可以推动医学研究，还可以通过为大量无症状、已确诊的成年人创造一个群体，改变政治和法律格局。
