Genetic Testing

Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is when doctors look at a person’s DNA (genetic information) to see if they or their children are likely to have medical problems in the future. Before doctors could test for genes that might give trouble, they had to understand what genes are and how they work. This knowledge was gained starting in the early 1950s, when the nature of the DNA molecule was first understood. By the late 1980s, devices existed that allow doctors to sequence DNA cheaply and quickly enough to make genetic testing possible. The popularity and usefulness of genetic testing grew during the 1990s. Today it is a common procedure.

Genetic testing can be classified into the following categories:

Carrier identification. Some diseases, called genetic diseases, are passed by their parents to their children. In some cases the parents may not have the disease themselves: a person must have two copies of a defective gene (DNA segment) to get the disease, and often a person has one copy. The person with one copy is called a carrier. If both parents have the defective gene, however, then the chances are high that at least some of their children will get two copies and therefore have the disease.

Prenatal diagnosis. This is when DNA taken from a developing fetus is tested, usually to see if there is mental retardation or some other severe birth defect. Parents sometimes choose abortion if the test shows that their developing fetus is likely to be born with severe mental retardation.

Newborn screening. Newborn screening is when newborn babies are tested to see if they have genetic disorders that can be better treated if treatment starts at once. Newborn screening can test for dozens of disorders, many involving the body’s ability to produce certain substances that are vital to life. If caught early, sickness and death can sometimes be prevented.

Late-onset disorders. Genetic tests are also available for diseases that affect people later in life, such as heart disease, colon cancer, certain kinds of breast cancer, and some other cancers. These tests do not prove that a person is going to have a certain disease, but a positive result means that the person is more likely than other people to get that disease.

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How Home DNA Testing Works

By Jason Kay DNA testing is used for a multitude of things in the world of investigation and it used to mean going to a doctor’s office and airing your dirty laundry for all to see; but that has all changed with the advent of home DNA testing. Home DNA testing is a great way to determine paternity or if you are predisposed to certain genetic conditions. So why use home DNA testing?

Sometimes it is necessary to find out if you are or are not the father of a child. This may be something that needs to be done legally through the courts and in this case you usually have to go to a doctor’s office to make it official. But if you just want peace of mind, you can use a home paternity DNA testing kit and find out for sure in a few short days.

Likewise you may want to know if you are predisposed to a number of genetic diseases as knowing can help you to understand what you can and cannot do in order to try to avoid what you may be predisposed to. You could go to a doctor’s office and wait in the waiting room and then wait a number of days or weeks for the results, or you can use a home DNA test and get the results yourself and the best part is you do it when you want to.

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