Question

if you had the opportunity to take,free of charge,accurate and reliable genetic test to determine your probability of developing a wide range of chronic diseases in your lifetime, from cancers to alzheimers Dementia, would you? why or why not?

Answer 1

If I had the opportunity to take free of charge, accurate, and reliable genetic testing, I would certainly opt for one as it reveals the probability or risk of developing a wide range of chronic diseases from cancers to Alzheimers. Since it predicts a person's susceptibility to some inherited disease conditions, it can be a real lifesaver in at least a few of these conditions. The knowledge of predisposition and the risks after the tests for genetic disorders makes one more vigilant and encourages him/her to adopt lifestyle changes. After the testing, one could go for genetic counseling and follow the counselor's advice to be more adaptable in a life-threatening condition. This brings about a change in attitude towards life with an increased zest for life, which can become an immunity booster in certain conditions.

It reveals the presence or absence of mutations associated with genetic disorders and thus increases the probability of a person with an inherited disease condition to be treated at an earlier stage of the disease or to take preventive steps before developing it. When the test reveals the absence of an unwanted mutation, it also saves the person from unwarranted tension of having it. Genetic testing like BRCA1 and BRCA2 can be considered advantageous as it leads to increased surveillance, risk avoidance, risk reduction, and chemoprevention of inherited breast and ovarian cancers. In the case of factor V Leiden testing, one of the most common genetic tests, the presence or absence of mutated F5 gene is identified. The presence of a mutated F5 gene shows an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, which would lead to early initiation of anticoagulant prophylaxis for risk reduction. Many types of genetic testing like prenatal testing, diagnostic testing, presymptomatic and predictive testing, carrier testing, pharmacogenetics, newborn screening, preimplantation testing, etc., uncovers mutation-disease associations which could lead to timely actions and prevent any unforeseen conditions.