Why Genetic Testing | Medicover Genetics (2023)

FAQs

Why Genetic Testing | Medicover Genetics? ›

Genetic testing is useful in many areas of medicine and can change the medical care you or your family member receives. For example, genetic testing can provide a diagnosis for a genetic condition such as Fragile X or information about your risk to develop cancer. There are many different kinds of genetic tests.

In some cases, genetic testing creates tension within a family because the results can reveal information about other family members in addition to the person who is tested. The possibility of genetic discrimination in employment or insurance is also a concern.

Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes in genes, chromosomes, or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.

The accuracy of genetic tests to detect mutated genes varies, depending on the condition being tested for and whether or not the gene mutation was previously identified in a family member. Even if you don't have the mutated gene, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll never get the disease.

A DNA test can be performed on any tissue sample and require very small amounts of sample. For some genetic diseases, many different mutations can occur in the same gene and result in the disease, making molecular testing challenging.

In a large number of instances, when patients receive the results of genetic tests, they are party to information that directly concerns their biologic relatives as well. This familial quality of genetic information raises ethical quandaries for physicians, particularly related to their duty of confidentiality.

Rarely, tests results can be false negative, which occur when the results indicate a decreased risk or a genetic condition when the person is actually affected. In some cases, a test result might not give any useful information. This type of result is called uninformative, indeterminate, inconclusive, or ambiguous.

There is no single genetic test that can detect all genetic conditions. The approach to genetic testing is individualized based on your medical and family history and what condition you're being tested for. Single gene testing. Single gene tests look for changes in only one gene.

DNA testing is extremely accurate with a specificity of 98% for both diagnostic and presymptomatic testing, but it does not predict the age of onset.

What is the success rate of genetic testing? ›

The results showed a significantly lower rate of pregnancies in the women who underwent genetic screening, however. Only 25% achieved ongoing pregnancies, compared with 37% of women who were not screened (rate ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 0.93).

Genetic screening is done for a particular condition in individuals, groups, or populations without family history of the condition, and genetic testing is done for a particular condition where an individual is suspected of being at increased risk due to their family history or the result of a genetic screening test.

Several studies suggest genetics is difficult because it contains many abstract concepts (i.e. concepts that cannot be seen directly and are beyond our senses). Many abstract concepts exist at the molecular level, such as 'genes' and 'DNA', since this level includes invisi- ble concepts.

However, genetic engineering is unpredictable and dangerous, and broadening the application of genetic engineering only furthers the risks. Genetically engineered organisms pose lethal and economic risks to human society.

Whilst some celebrate this breakthrough in potentially reducing suffering from disability, others predict that this may lead to increased abortions which, they say, could devalue the lives of disabled people and undermine respect for the human condition [Ref: Daily Mail].

In the context of genetic testing, the “right not to know” refers to the idea that adults should be permitted to control whether they receive genetic information—particularly information about the risk of future illness—and that their desire not to know certain kinds of information should be respected.

Genes (say: jeenz) play an important role in determining physical traits — how we look —and lots of other stuff about us. They carry information that makes you who you are and what you look like: curly or straight hair, long or short legs, even how you might smile or laugh.

Why are genetic tests not 100 accurate? ›

Many false-positive and false-negative results can happen because of 'quirks' in our chromosomes. You can get different estimates of how recently we share ancestors. And it's hard to determine the significance of a mutation you may carry.

Unproven or invalid tests can be misleading. There may not be enough scientific evidence to link a particular genetic variation with a given disease or trait. Genetic privacy may be compromised if testing companies use your genetic information in an unauthorized way or if your data is stolen.

A positive result can direct a person toward available prevention, monitoring, and treatment options. Some test results can also help people make decisions about having children. Newborn screening can identify genetic disorders early in life so treatment can be started as early as possible.

The cancers with the highest genetic contribution include breast, bowel, stomach and prostate cancers. Referral to a specialist cancer genetics service may be appropriate for people with a strong family history of cancer.

Three major types of genetic testing are available in laboratories: cytogenetic (to examine whole chromosomes), biochemical (to measure protein produced by genes), and molecular (to look for small DNA mutations). (See Chapter 2 and Appendix I for more information.)

Genetic testing looks for causes of ASD but cannot be used to diagnose ASD. Some people with ASD have syndromic ASD, meaning that they have other specific features in addition to having ASD, such as looking different from other people in the family or having birth defects.

Genome sequencing: This is the most comprehensive genetic test, and it looks at all of a person's DNA. The findings can point to genetic causes of health conditions, and there may be unrelated secondary findings, as well.

Answer and Explanation: There is a lot of literature regarding this topic. Some say genetics determines between 30% - 70% of body weight, some say 80%, others say 25%, but most agree it typically varies from person to person and is dependent on not only genes, but also environmental factors.

The nature versus nurture debate remains one of the longest-running discussions among the scientific community.

Genetic testing for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations is typically not recommended for children younger than 18, but can be considered when your children reach adulthood. Younger children might not be able to understand what your mutation means for you or for them.

How far along can you do genetic testing? ›

The cell-free DNA in a sample of a woman's blood can be screened for Down syndrome, Patau syndrome (trisomy 13), Edwards syndrome, and problems with the number of sex chromosomes. This test can be done starting at 10 weeks of pregnancy. It takes about 1 week to get the results.

No genetic test can say if you will develop cancer for sure. But it can tell you if you have a higher risk than most people. Only some people with a gene mutation will develop cancer.

Genetic screening is the process of testing a population for a genetic disease in order to identify a subgroup of people that either have the disease or the potential to pass it on to their offspring.

Transcription, translation, and DNA replication, especially when placing these processes in the context of the bigger picture. In general, it seems that molecular mechanisms, such as replication, transcription, translation, etc., are often the most difficult for students to grasp.

Genetics helps to explain: What makes you unique, or one of a kind. Why family members look alike. Why some diseases like diabetes or cancer run in families.

The best-studied genes associated with athletic performance are ACTN3 and ACE. These genes influence the fiber type that makes up muscles, and they have been linked to strength and endurance.

Arguments against genetic screening

Some feel that genetic screening would lead to discrimination of those individuals, which possess "inferior" genes. Second, people fear that genetic screening will lead to reproductive decisions being based on the genetics of their child.

All men inherit a Y chromosome from their father, which means all traits that are only found on the Y chromosome come from dad, not mom. The Supporting Evidence: Y-linked traits follow a clear paternal lineage.

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS)

Is ADHD a genetic disease? ›

Genetics. ADHD tends to run in families and, in most cases, it's thought the genes you inherit from your parents are a significant factor in developing the condition. Research shows that parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have ADHD themselves.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder and the most common inherited disease worldwide, affecting over 400,000 babies annually with the greatest burden of disease within sub-Saharan Africa.

Genetic engineering is dehumanizing because it will create nonhuman, alienated creatures. Genetically engineered people will be alienated from themselves, or feel a confused identify, or no longer feel human, or the human race will feel alienated from itself.

After talking to a genetic counselor, some people decide not to do genetic testing. It may be too expensive or cause too much worry. Othes might decide not to do it because they don't want to know or it's not going to change any decisions they make.

Cloning is highly controversial. Animal studies suggest cloning is much more likely than natural methods to result in defects that are lethal or cause serious health problems. Creating a human by cloning is widely seen as unethical, is illegal in most jurisdictions, and is technically difficult.

Reasons to ban germline gene editing include the profound risks to future children, thin medical justifications, reinforcing existing inequalities and creating new forms of discrimination, eroding public trust in responsible science, and undermining global agreements.

The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food (GM food or GMO food) are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide ...

There are concerns over the inadvertent effects, such as the creation of food that can cause an allergic reaction, GMO that can cause harmful genetic effects, and genes moving from one species to another that is not genetically engineered.

There is no single genetic test that can detect all genetic conditions. The approach to genetic testing is individualized based on your medical and family history and what condition you're being tested for. Single gene testing. Single gene tests look for changes in only one gene.

In the context of genetic testing, the “right not to know” refers to the idea that adults should be permitted to control whether they receive genetic information—particularly information about the risk of future illness—and that their desire not to know certain kinds of information should be respected.

Can you refuse genetic testing? ›

The right to make choices about one's health care is protected, in part, by the right to privacy guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, as well as state constitutions. This includes a right to make certain reproductive choices,¹³ such as whether to use genetic testing. It also includes a right to refuse treatment.

Genetics: Access and Scale

The easy acquisition of statistically relevant and reliable samples for analysis is the foremost challenge in the fields of human and animal genetics.

There are a few ethical dilemmas that cause people concern. Being able to actually procure the information that lies in the DNA's structure could result in people being discriminated against for a job or insurance coverage. Another issue that causes controversy is the prospect of selection of fetuses during pregnancy.

What is the future of genetic testing? In the future, we will be able to perform genetic analysis for any genetically encoded feature of a person to diagnose current illness, predict future disease risk, and to define other less medically relevant traits.