You can test for genes linked to alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's, lung cancer and more. But then what? Insurance coverage and privacy are only a few of the issues.
Wandering the virtual aisles of a genetic-test website can be as dazzling and chaotic as shopping at a big-box hardware store on Saturday afternoon. Shelves are bursting with innovative products that promise to reveal a patient's genetic propensity to conditions as varied as diabetes, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease and lung cancer. Fueled by the galloping pace of genomic research, new tests are being stocked daily.
