APOE SCREENING TEST

Should the NHS introduce an APOE screening programme in the UK?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether the National Health Service (called NHS henceforth) should introduce the Apolipoprotein E (Called APOE henceforth) as a screening programme in the United Kingdom for non lab purposes. This paper will evaluate existing literature to understand whether APOE testing is significant in screening diseases or the practice needs to be abolished altogether since it is not as beneficial as people have considered it to be.

Research Proposal: Should the NHS introduce an APOE screening programme in the UK?

Introduction

Scientists are currently unaware about the exact cause behind Alzheimer's disease, constant research and studies have constantly proven unfruitful since identifying the key aspect behind the development of this disease remain unknown, whereas the disease itself continues to manifest a majority of people, and an alarming 820,000 people in the UK alone are suffering from Alzheimer's (Anonymous, 2012). This increase in the prevalence of this disease has caused extreme uproar as scientists and researchers have made countless efforts to identify any linkage which can lead to the identification of the cause behind this ailment. However the NIH has given signs that the one distinct factor which can be associated with Alzheimer is that genes play a certain role in the development of this disease, however it cannot be ascertained with complete conviction, any lead is regarded in hopes that it might lead to some useful information. Many researchers have identified the presence of Apolipoprotein E allele present in their genes however the relation between both cannot be confirmed as yet many seem hopeful and consider this might be the missing link.

Apolipoprotein E is a certain kind of lipoprotein, and the gene responsible for encoding it is termed as APOE which is located on the 19th Chromosome, this gene has three allelic variations and five major genotypes (Medscape, 2012). Lipoproteins have the responsibility of carrying cholesterol and other fats through the bloodstream. Amongst the three allelic variations known as APOE e2, e3 and e4. APOE E3 is the most commonly present allele, whereas APOE E4 is very closely associated with the development of Alzheimer's (Medicine net, 2012). APOE is prevalent in people who are diagnosed with various diseases and not only Alzheimer's people with atherosclerosis, heart diseases and various other complex diseases all are known to posses the APOE allele which has lead various researchers to question whether APOE screening should be performed in order to identify the presence of any chronic disease and also to be able to prevent the development of any harmful disease amongst people who have the respective allele present within themselves. Within the United Sates various biologists and scientists have started using APOE allele's as a sign of the presence of some serious ailment which has not yet surfaced, screening of APOE has been considerably practiced in the US for the purpose of identifying the prevalence of any chronic disease and also for the purpose of being able to identify the ...