<p>My husband has severe early-onset Alzheimers, and has been ill for over five years. Although there’s no family history of early onset Alzheimers that we know of in his family, studies suggest that our kids are at an increased risk of developing this disease. </p>
<p>This is an illness that is the proverbial elephant in the living room – it affects your life from morning to night. I’ve heard people say that they wouldn’t want their child marrying someone with this disease in their family, and was told by an Alzheimers’ Social Worker that our children should be cautious about disclosing the disease in medical histories due to concerns about employability in the future. Our kids have been told that genetic testing is not recommended, and may not give an accurate answer anyway. We’ve been asked if DH’s behavior would be “safe” if our kids’ friends spent time at our home. Our kids have handled this situation with maturity and grace, and all are academically strong students. They have collectively volunteered over 1,000 hours in nursing homes and hospitals in addition to all of their other activities. Two are in college and one is still in high school.</p>
<p>We have learned that there is a stigma associated with early onset Alzheimers disease. Whether this stigma is based on fear or the fact the disease is still not well-understood, I worry how this stigma will affect their lives. </p>
<p>One is now applying to grad and professional schools. I know that she has written essays about the challenges our family has faced as a result of her father’s illness, and how these challenges have motivated her. Do you think that Admissions Officers – either consciously or unconsciously – will be concerned about the possiblity of selecting a student who may have a more limited career than some other candidate? Should she downplay her father’s illness for grad school?</p>
<p>While professional schools may want to read about this situation in a personal statement (depending on the field), PhD admissions committees don’t want or need this information. We want to hear about preparation for the type of research the applicant wishes to do, and why the applicant wishes to do this type of research. So in most fields, the question of disclosure would not arise.</p>
<p>However, if the type of academic research your daughter plans to do centers SPECIFICALLY around Alzheimer’s research, then a mention of experience with it could be a plus, so disclosure would be warranted.</p>
<p>In either situation, I cannot conceive of <em>anyone</em> perceiving family history of early-onset Alzheimer’s as a stigma.</p>
<p>professor x,</p>
<p>You may want to re-read the OP’s post and pay close attention to the last paragraph. It seems the applicant brought the topic up herself in the context of an essay.</p>
<p>So, while it is true that no school deserves this information, if volunteered, they have it.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I don’t think the hereditary nature of early onset alz. is widely known or universally accepted. Even better, of the subset of folks that do know, I doubt many of them will hold it against an applicant. After all, far less than 100 % of those at risk get the disease anyway. If it were huntington’s or another disease with daunting odds, it might be a concern, but not here. JMHO.</p>
<p>NMD, I think that early-onset versions of Alzheimer’s, like early-onset Parkinson’s and early-onset ALS, are monogenic (e.g. in PD: PINK1, Parkin, a-synuclein, others; in ALS: SOD1) and strongly heritable. I forget whether they are generally dominant or recessive, though.</p>
<p>With regard to the original post, I do not think knowledge of a family history of disease would reflect badly on an applicant, although I agree with Professor X that it’s best not to disclose this information unless it’s specifically related to the research the applicant would like to pursue.</p>
<p>Thank you for your responses. All of them are pursuing health care careers, and two are particularly focused on geriatrics. I felt too close to this to evaluate it clearly.</p>