'Give It to Me Straight, Doc:' New National Survey Reveals People Want to Know Now What Diseases Await Them in Their Future... Even If There's No Cure.

Majority of Consumers Would Pursue Treatment "At Any Cost"; Willing to Live with "Burden of Knowing" for 20 Years or More

MALVERN, Pa. -- When it comes to their future, many Americans might welcome a crystal ball. When it comes to their health, a new national survey reveals that, surprisingly, they don't just want to know about the good things that the future holds; people want to know about diseases they may be stricken with - even those for which there currently are no cures.

According to the survey, conducted by Directive Analytics for Siemens Medical Solutions, nearly three out of four consumers (72 percent) would take a test that identifies diseases 20 years before symptoms appear.

Furthermore, many consumers would welcome even hard-to-take news. More than one in three (35 percent) indicated that they would want to know now if they would be diagnosed sometime in their life with an incurable disease.

Specifically, nearly half of those surveyed indicated they would want to know if they would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, despite the current lack of a cure.

The survey, a national online poll of 1,111 adults, was conducted to assess consumer attitudes toward growing scientific capabilities to predict diseases and disease onset - part of the growing field of so-called 'personalized medicine.'

"The objective of science is to open new doors, but the question is always 'do we really want a peek inside the room?'" said Donald Rucker, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer, Siemens Medical Solutions. "In the case of predicting disease, people clearly are willing to live with the emotional burden of knowing about impending disease, and are willing to invest all that they have in pursuing a cure."

The scientific community has advanced a number of diagnostic approaches in recent years, specifically in the field of molecular medicine, which allows physicians to identify diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's at the earliest possible stages - when cells begin to show subtle evidence of disease. Beyond just diagnostics, progress has also been made in identifying genetic pre-dispositions to certain diseases, which allow doctors to take steps to reduce additional risk factors for certain conditions.

"Through advances in medicine and science, we are privy to a wealth of information that not too long ago was unobtainable," said Gary Small, M.D., a Professor with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and Director of the UCLA Center on Aging. "With this information, patients and their physicians can work together on lifestyle and behavioral modifications to help them achieve longer, better lives."

While undertaken to gauge the public's comfort with the ability to identify diseases years in advance, the survey also provided some interesting results about the actions people would take if told they would get an incurable disease, as well as some divisions along gender and income lines.

Spending Your Precious Days and Dollars

People proved not only to be curious about diseases, but also proactive in doing something about it. Despite the high cost of U.S. health care - and the high rate of the uninsured and underinsured - more than half of all people (52 percent) would "aggressively pursue treatment at any cost" if they found out their future held an incurable disease.

Women More Likely to Act than Men

Traditionally, women more than men tend to be the decision makers when it comes to their family's health care. They also proved themselves to be more aggressive than men when it comes to taking action for their own sake. Women were 28 percent more likely than men (59 percent versus 45 percent) to educate themselves about treatment options and seek treatment at any cost if they were told they would eventually be diagnosed with an incurable disease.

What would men do if told they would be diagnosed with an incurable disease? They would be nearly twice as likely as women to "do nothing" (16 percent versus 9 percent) and more than twice as likely to take a risk in their lives by going on an extreme adventure (8 percent versus 3 percent).

Curiosity Doesn't Necessarily Indicate Knowledge

Although people show a propensity toward future knowledge of disease, their existing knowledge of the tools and tests available to identify disease is lacking.

For instance, only 53 percent of respondents could accurately identify a PET-CT, the latest imaging machine that can identify diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's on a cellular level. Nearly one out of four people believed a PET-CT to be a high-intensity screening device used in airport security.

Income and Age Play a Role in "Need to Know"

Affluent respondents (household income of $100,000/year or more) were most likely among all income levels (79 percent) to want to know 20 years in advance if they'll be diagnosed with a disease. Baby boomers (age 45-54) were most likely among all age groups to be curious specifically about Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.

Northeasterners as Spendthrifts?

Despite a common stereotype that Northeasterners tend to be frugal, they were nearly twice as likely as respondents in the Southeast, Midwest and West to "spend all their savings to fulfill dreams of travel and luxury" if told they would definitely be diagnosed with an incurable disease.

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Recent acquisitions in the area of in-vitro diagnostics - such as Diagnostic Products Corporation and Bayer Diagnostics - mark a significant milestone for Siemens as it becomes the first full service diagnostics company. Employing more than 41,000 people worldwide and operating in over 130 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 8.23 billion EUR, orders of 9.33 billion EUR and group profit of 1.06 billion EUR for fiscal 2006 (Sept. 30). Further information can be found by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.