Integrative neurologist Romie Mushtaq, M.D., notes that genetic tests are not routinely used in clinical settings—even integrative ones—to diagnose or predict the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or related dementia.
“Although APOE testing is also available, the results cannot fully predict who will or won’t develop Alzheimer’s,” she notes. Even if you have one or both copies of the APOE4 gene, it doesn’t mean that you will develop Alzheimer’s, and not everyone with Alzheimer’s has a copy of APOE4.
The Alzheimer’s Association also emphasizes the relationship between APOE4 and Alzheimer’s is the strongest in white, European-descended populations. And according to new research, that association is not as well established for other populations.
“I want to honor that watching a loved one suffer through dementia of any type is heartbreaking and traumatic,” says Mushtaq. “I have experienced this both as a neurologist taking care of patients with memory loss, and by watching my beloved maternal grandmother suffer from dementia. Unfortunately, genetic testing is not the end-all and be-all answer.”
But some clinicians like Attia and precision medicine physician Matt Dawson, M.D., are recommending folks learn the APOE4 status to identify any genetic disadvantage they may have to work harder to overcome.
