As our understanding of genetics improves, things like pharmacogenomics the relationship between drugs and genes and nutrigenomics the interplay between nutrition and genes may become much bigger forces. In many cases, consumers who engage in ancestry testing are making discoveries far more profound than Kelly Ripa made.
These revelations can be heartwarming, and they can be heartbreaking. Meanwhile, in the last two years, law enforcement has begun accessing certain quasi-public databases to use genetic information that was gathered for family history purposes to solve cold cases, opening up debates about privacy, civil liberties and consent.
Despite news of a recent slowdown in sales, the number of people in these databases can only get bigger — though how much bigger will depend on many of the human factors at play in the quest for more information. Will growth taper off because the early adopters have already bought spit kits, while more casual consumers are scared off by privacy concerns?
Or will an ongoing appetite for self-discovery, for health insights, for greater certainty about the past and the future, drive us to look for more answers within ourselves? Used by permission of Abrams, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact us at letters time. DNA helix with man and woman in the background. By Libby Copeland. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture.
We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. If the genetic test result is positive, that means the genetic change that was being tested for was detected. The steps you take after you receive a positive result will depend on the reason you had genetic testing.
Talk to your doctor about what a positive result means for you. In some cases, you can make lifestyle changes that may reduce your risk of developing a disease, even if you have a gene that makes you more susceptible to a disorder. Results may also help you make choices related to treatment, family planning, careers and insurance coverage. In addition, you may choose to participate in research or registries related to your genetic disorder or condition. These options may help you stay updated with new developments in prevention or treatment.
A negative result means a mutated gene was not detected by the test, which can be reassuring, but it's not a percent guarantee that you don't have the 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. Also, genetic testing may not be able to detect all genetic defects. In some cases, a genetic test may not provide helpful information about the gene in question. Everyone has variations in the way genes appear, and often these variations don't affect your health.
But sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between a disease-causing gene and a harmless gene variation. These changes are called variants of uncertain significance. In these situations, follow-up testing or periodic reviews of the gene over time may be necessary. No matter what the results of your genetic testing, talk with your doctor, medical geneticist or genetic counselor about questions or concerns you may have.
This will help you understand what the results mean for you and your family. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Genetic testing care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Genetic testing involves examining your DNA, the chemical database that carries instructions for your body's functions.
More Information Genetic testing care at Mayo Clinic Diagnosing spinal muscular atrophy Spinal muscular atrophy: Are my future children at risk? Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Expanded carrier status screening is a type of genetic DNA test that can estimate reproductive risks in healthy individuals, said Feero. He told INSIDER, "Expanded carrier status screening can be useful if you are a woman who is contemplating pregnancy, and you want to know what genetic changes you might have in your DNA that could predict risk for multiple relatively rare, serious diseases in your newborn.
For example, [certain] changes in your DNA might be associated with cystic fibrosis or Tay-Sachs risk for the baby. Today, many fertility clinics and other health-care facilities offer tests that can tell you if you are a carrier for different genetic disorders. There are also several direct-to-consumer DNA tests that provide these types of results, too.
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, hereditary conditions that might be detected in a carrier test include Huntington's disease, sickle cell anemia, spinal muscular atrophy, polycystic kidney disease, Tay-Sachs disease, and Down syndrome.
Knowing this information allows parents to make well-informed choices about family planning. According to the National Cancer Institute, some genetic tests can provide people with information about whether they inherited mutations associated with several types of hereditary cancer.
This includes certain types of breast cancer, colon cancer, melanoma, and sarcoma. Hereditary cancers are hard to predict.
For some people, receiving genetic test results that come back positive for a mutation like this can be life-changing. Feero noted this can make that person eligible for additional tests like ovarian cancer and breast cancer screenings, starting at an early age.
It may also influence them to talk with their family members about potentially getting tested for mutation as well. And depending on the other risk factors a person has like their weight, diet, and other health conditions , it may lead them to take further action to help prevent the disease before it begins. In this case, if someone has the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation , along with other risk factors, they may decide to get a mastectomy breast removal to minimize their chances of cancer occurring.
However, it's important to remember that not all cancers are caused by hereditary mutations. In fact, many of the mutations that cause cancers are sporadic, which means they happen randomly and unexpectedly due to environmental factors. This means a genetic test can't always say for certain whether someone will get cancer, said Feero. Still, if you have a family history of cancer and you're concerned about your risk, you should talk with your doctor about this type of testing.
Using genetics to predict whether someone will develop a disease is a very complex process. Tests that are done in a clinical setting like a doctor's office may look for different things than a DNA test you can buy at home. A direct-to-consumer test usually involves a swab that is then mailed into a lab. Most of the time, these tests can tell you if your DNA shows variations that make you predisposed to developing a disease or condition. But this type of result is a lot different than saying you're definitely going to get a disease.
This is especially the case when it comes to diseases where your genes and lifestyle choices play a role in whether you get it. Results from a SNP test are just one piece of the puzzle, while other factors like your diet, fitness level, blood pressure, and environment also contribute to whether you'll get that disease. Currently, the FDA says that some DNA tests are approved to share information regarding a person's genetic health risk for developing 10 medical conditions , including Parkinson's disease, celiac disease, Late-onset Alzheimer's a progressive brain disorder that affects memory , along with several blood-clotting and tissue disorders.
Still, Feero noted much the mainstream medical community remains uncertain about how accurate and useful these polygenic risk scores are in predicting whether someone will get a disease. Often the increased risk predicted only accounts for a small amount of the total risk a person has for developing a disease.
He added that it's important to consider these genetic risk scores only account for one portion of your risk.
0コメント