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Reading Genes for Disease, Part 4: Dilemmas

Tests that can reveal a person's risk of a disease are an advance of modern medicine. But they are also perceived as a double-edged sword: The ability to diagnose a disease or to predict its arrival has outstripped the ability to treat it.

In the conclusion of a four-part series on genetic testing, NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Joe Palca about the various dilemmas the medical tests pose: from personal choices to the reactions of insurance companies and employers.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joe Palca is a science correspondent for NPR.
Linda Wertheimer joined NPR at the network's inception, and served as the first broadcast director of All Things Considered starting with its debut on May 3, 1971.
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