Subtitle: A Consumer's Guide to DNA Testing for Genetic Disorders
Author: Doris Teichler Zallen
Subject: Health & Medicine
Cloth ISBN 0-8135-2446-6
Pages: 200 pp.
Description: Highly readable guide to understanding the uses and limitations of genetic testing.

What if your father had Alzheimer's disease? And what if there was a test to tell you if, as you grew older, you might develop it, too? Would you have the test? And if you did, how would the results affect the way you live your life? How would they affect your family? Your job? Your medical insurance?

Breast cancer, sickle-cell anemia, Huntington disease, muscular dystrophy--every day, people have to face the fact that a hereditary disorder runs in their family. The painful knowledge that they or their children might be at risk for a genetic disorder influences all their decisions about the future. They ask, "Is there a genetic test to let us know if we are really at risk? If there is such a test, do we really want to have it done?"

For an ever-growing number of disorders, testing is possible--but the existence of a test can raise new and troubling questions. In this book, geneticist and science policy expert Doris Teichler Zallen explains clearly and sympathetically how genetic disorders are passed along in families; which hereditary disorders can be tested for using genetic technology; how the new DNA tests for genetic disorders work; what genetic tests can and can't reveal, and why the tests often do not give clear-cut answers; what questions one should ask doctors and genetic counselors; how the health care system, government policies, and insurance companies influence our options; and what the resources are for obtaining more information and counseling.

Through the stories of real families and the choices they made about genetic testing, Zallen helps readers think through their own alternatives and discuss them with relatives. Does it Run in the Family? is essential reading for every family coping with inherited medical conditions and for the medical and genetics professionals involved in their decisions. It will also interest all readers who seek a clear explanation of the new DNA tests and the issues surrounding them.

DORIS TEICHLER ZALLEN is a professor of Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech's Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. An expert in genetic technologies and bioethics in medicine, Zallen has served as a member of the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee and the Subcommittee on Human Gene Therapy, and works to develop policies and guidelines for human genetics research and its clinical applications.

"Dr. Zallen has a special talent for taking complicated medical concepts and translating them into everyday language. . . . She has done an outstanding service to the public by writing this comprehensive overview so that families will finally understand the true implications of modern science."-Abbey S. Meyers, president, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

"Doris Zallen has heard the public cry for more basic, comprehensive, and comprehensible information about human genetics and genetic testing. Does It Run in the Family? is a must for anyone considering genetic testing, and facing its personal, familial, and societal implications."-Joan O. Weiss, founding director, Alliance of Genetic Support Groups

"I am impressed by [the book's] scientifically accurate and sensitive descriptions of the many medical and psychological problems raised by genetic testing. [It] is comprehensive and written in understandable language. Highly recommended for anyone interested in genetic testing."-Arno G. Motulsky, M.D., co-author of Human Genetics

"The best protection against the misuse of genetic information and genetic testing is an informed consumer. Dr. Zallen has provided us with a comprehensive book that covers not only the scientific aspects of genetic diseases but the emotional and social implications of testing that must be considered as well, and has done so in a clearly written fashion suitable for the general public. I would recommend this book to anyone contemplating genetic testing."-Kimberly A. Quaid, professor of medical and molecular genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine

"Does It Run in the Family provides comprehensive and easy to understand coverage of genetic issues that all families need to know before they decide to have children. Zallen's sensitive, straightforward approach is refreshing and a 'must read' for professionals who work with families."-Julie Gordon, executive director, MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network