Introduction
Genetic inherited diseases are known to have no available treatments at present. Even though it these diseases are rare, it still is one of the most difficult diseases to deal with. It is possible that you can protect yourself from these diseases by knowing if you have inherited them. There are some complicated ways in determining if you have these genetic inherited diseases.
Family health history
There are some genetic inherited diseases that manifest in the later stage of life. If you happen to experience something weird within your body, you have to go to the doctor immediately. Usually, you will undergo certain tests first to identify the abnormalities that you are experiencing but doctors are able to identify what specific tests to make based on your family health history. The doctors usually ask is you have a health history of any disease that is related to the symptoms that you are currently having. From there, they may be able to identify the cause of the symptom. It helps if you have a background of any genetic inherited diseases that run in your family because chances are, you could have them too. Investigating any genetic inherited diseases in your family history would also help you identify if any of those diseases were passed on to you. And before you even experience any symptoms, you can use the result of your investigation to decide if you want to undergo genetic testing.
Genetic Testing
Genetic testing involves an examination of your genetic makeup. It helps in identifying if you have any genetic inherited diseases. Not all people manifest such diseases because they might only be a carrier and would possibly manifest on their offspring. This is why these days the common use of genetic testing is in newborn screening or in prenatal diagnostic testing. It is highly recommended because this will help in identifying if your child has manifested any genetic inherited diseases which are traced in your family history. Presymptomatic testing which also involves genetic testing can also be done in adults for any genetic inherited diseases that may manifest on the later part of life.
Full Genome Sequencing
If you have seen the movie Gattaca by Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, it would most probably help you fully understand the concept of full genome sequencing. In the movie, children undergo full genome sequencing to identify any genetic inherited diseases that could be manifested on the child. The results would include the possible diseases and ailments that they have based from you genetic makeup. Those without any inherited diseases or ailments are considered to be perfect individuals and are granted access to an exclusive academy. Even though the movie was set in 1997, and possibly full genome sequencing was not yet even successful at that time, it certainly showed a futuristic approach in the field of Genomics. Today, full genome sequencing is already available. The problem is, not all can afford it.
Although these tests do not necessary lead to any available treatment, there are still some ways for the inherited diseases to be managed. Management may not be equivalent to completely treating the disease but at least it helps you make your life much easier than not managing the disease at all. Somehow, management may also be a form of protection from these genetic inherited diseases.
Comments
Most Recent Articles
-
Treatment Of Genetic Inherited Diseases
Genetic inherited diseases are very rare among the human population. However, they are not to be taken for granted because genetic inherited diseases are either fatal or it greatly affects t...
