"Will I get Alzheimer disease?" when cognitively normal patients ask to be tested for Alzheimer disease.

ABSTRACT

This article presents the case of a cognitively normal patient who is requesting a procedure (amyloid imaging) recently approved for the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) in patients with cognitive impairment. The predictive value of this test in unaffected people is not clearly established. Knowing the results of the test will have no effect on therapeutic options, although the patient may make lifestyle decisions based on the results. There is potential risk to the patient in terms of insurability, employability, and psychological consequences. Physicians will face this situation with increasing frequency as the AD biomarker field progresses.