Genetic testing, or DNA testing, is a type of medical test that points out changes in our genes, chromosomes, and proteins. Our parents pass the genes down to us by, and our kids typically inherit them from us. The outcome of genetic tests helps to confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition .
Moreover, genetic testing may also help to determine the probability of a person developing or passing to their offspring some genetic disorders.
Here are the benefits of genetic testing:
Accurate Diagnosis
When it comes to making an accurate diagnosis concerning most of the disorders, genetic testing remains the only option. It also helps to eliminate other clinical investigations saving time and resources speeding up the action.
Moreover, a definite diagnosis comes as a relief to the family as well as the patients. Mostly,this is the case if they had sought answers for long and used many approaches but to no avail.
Identifying Predisposition to Diseases
The occurrence of most diseases involves the complex interaction of the concerned genes and environmental factors. There is typically a high likelihood of persons who were born healthy to contract a killer disease. Such probability is referred to as susceptibility or genetic predisposition.
If the risk factors are not addressed, genetically predisposed people have an inherent risk of acquiring some diseases, without the environmental factors contributing, despite living healthily. Fortunately, the use of advanced genetic testing and research has assisted in mapping the conditions at the most initial stages through genetic associations.
A good example is that of Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), which is known to be partly inherited. From various studies by World Health Organization (WHO), first degree relatives of persons with T2DM are three times more likely to develop T2DM than persons whose family has a history of occurrence of the disease. As such, to identify persons susceptible to T2DM, the first thing should be to identify a candidate’s gene.
Family Planning
With the understanding of genetic diagnosis, people can have a grasp of how a disease is passed down the family tree. People get well informed about the probability of getting an affected child. Such information can help people in their decision-making on having children.
Conclusion
Due to the critical decisions that genetic testing leads to, its accuracy is vital. It is advisable to have it conducted by accredited, well-equipped, and high-quality labs.…