How would you react if you found out there are high chances that you develop a certain condition at some point in your life? Google co-founder Sergey Brin is in that position, and decided to share his experience with the public on this Too blog.

Brin’s wife, Anne Wojcicki, who is co-founder of a personal genomics and biotechnology company that is working on new ways of helping people become aware of their genetic information and what may result from that, first introduced Brin to genetic testing.

At first, 23andMe genetic testing started off with a certain dose of skepticism for Brin, but as he began assembling pieces of his DNA puzzle, he also became quite excited about the prospects of finding out his genetic risk for most diseases.

At his wife’s suggestion, Brin looked into his genetic data for the G20195 mutation, to find out whether he might pose a risk to Parkinson’s disease. His mother suffered from this condition, and so did his mother’s aunt, which raised a few questions about such a possibility for him, although a hereditary inheritance of the disease has never been established.

To his surprise, he found out that both him and his mother carry the G20195 mutation. This leaves him with a 20 to 80 percent chance of developing Parkinson’s in his lifetime, much higher than an average person.

According to Brin, this puts him in a rather unique position: “I know early in my life something I am substantially predisposed to. I now have the opportunity to adjust my life to reduce those odds […] I also have the opportunity to perform and support research into this disease long before it may affect me. And, regardless of my own health it can help my family members as well as others.”

Parkinson’s disease or PD is a disorder affecting over 1 million Americans, 40% of which are under the age of 60. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the cause of the disease, or the cure. What scientists do know is that it starts from the degeneration of nerve cells in the mid-brain, and that as it progresses, it may ultimately become debilitating.

As the affected nerve cells in the brain stop producing the necessary amount of neurotransmitting chemical dopamine necessary for coordinated movement and muscle relaxation, the disease starts interfering with body movement, but some patients may develop depression and dementia.

Parkinson’s disease knows no sex or ethnic boundaries: “Parkinson’s does not discriminate. It afflicts people regardless of gender, race, background, behavior, lifestyle or geographic area. Despite the common perception that PD is the “old person’s” disease, the average age of diagnosis is 57 years, with many diagnosed in their 30’s and even 20’s” – Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation.

According to the World Health Organization, 100-180 people per 100,000 of the population are affected by Parkinson’s. Who also notes that there is a rising prevalence with age and a higher prevalence and incidence of PD in males.

Brin ended his blog with a positive statement, saying he feels fortunate to be in this position. “Until the fountain of youth is discovered, all of us will have some conditions in our old age only we don’t know what they will be. I have a better guess than almost anyone else for what ills may be mine – and I have decades to prepare for it.”