Adverse effects of predictive testing for Huntington disease underestimated: long-term effects 7-10 years after the test. |
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Authors: | Reinier Timman Raymund Roos Anneke Maat-Kievit Aad Tibben |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. r.timman@erasmusmc.nl |
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Abstract: | The 7-10-year psychological effects of presymptomatic testing for Huntington disease are described in 142 individuals and 104 partners. Questionnaires included the Beck Hopelessness Scale (A. T. Beck, A. Weissman, D. Lester, & L. Trexler, 1974), the Impact of Event Scale (M. J. Horowitz, N. Wilner. & W. Alvarez. 1979). and the General Health Questionnaire (D. P. Goldberg. 1972). Carriers and their partners were more distressed immediately after the test result, although their outlooks improved somewhat in the 2-3-year posttest period. However, they became more pessimistic thereafter, when approaching the age of onset. Carriers, who were lost to follow-up after disclosure of test results, reported more distress pretest than did retained carriers. This demonstrates that studies that report few harmful effects may have underestimated the real impact. Moreover, follow-up studies need to investigate time effects for longer than a few years. |
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