6 Significant Things You Should Know about Genetic Test
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Facts you should know about genetic testing for diseases include the conditions that can be identified, laws, rates, restrictions, screening embryos, and risks.
Genetic testing is a cutting-edge medical procedure that determines the presence of mutated cells that are prone to diseases. This procedure allows the physician to identify what type of disease a person is vulnerable to, provide a treatment plan, and caution parents of the possibility that their children could acquire a particular illness.
Diseases that can be diagnosed
There is a myriad of ailments that can be tested. Some of the highly devastating ailments include hemophilia, Alzheimer's disease, Sickle cell, Tymothy syndrome, and Huntington's disease, among many others.
Laws
In the US, genetic testing has no laws. No regulations and guidelines exist to ascertain the accuracy or the credibility of genetic testing. The rationale for this is that genetic testing is a service of laboratories, which the FDA or Food and Drug Administration do not oversee. Unfortunately, there are many companies that are taking advantage of this fact by selling test kits that they lay claim to not just test ailments but also help customize the medicine, the vitamins and the food of each of the individuals who has a disease. To say the least, they are surely doubtful claims. If you plan to buy one of those test kits, you must first check its authenticity and usefulness.
Rates
Genetic testing will cost you between 200 dollars to 3,000 dollars. Most insurance companies do not cover genetic testing. And if they do, they will want to have access to the outcome. You have to choose on whether or not you are alright with that since legislation concerning genetic information nondiscrimination laws is not very strong or clear.
Restrictions
There is no question pertaining to the effectiveness of genetic testing as a tool for research and diagnosis. However, just like most other medical procedures, gene testing is not perfect. During lab work, for instance, mistakes can happen when the specimen gets contaminated or misidentified. Uncertainties are also present regarding the relation of cause and effect in alterations that are associated by diseases. A positive test result for a particular type of mutation that is disease-associated will inform the doctor that there is a high risk for attaining that illness. However, it would not always imply that the subject will get that disease.
Screening embryos
Doctors can carry out tests like PGD or preimplantation genetic diagnosis. This kind of test will screen an embryo for the presence of congenital diseases before it will be utilized for in-vitro fertilization. The result will enable the doctor to decide to implant only those embryos that do not have any genetic mutation in the womb of the mother.
Risks
Prenatal testing for gene testing that uses amniocentesis involves an extraction of a particular amount of fluid from around the unborn child. A risk of abortion comes along with this method of between one in 500 based on a statement by the Mayo Clinic. A few of the rare outcomes that could happen with this procedure include infection in the uterus or a leak of amniotic fluid, which could cause the unborn child to acquire orthopedic deformities.
There is also a concern about psychological effects on individuals who will find out that they are at risk for a serious disease, although there have also been reports that those who found out that they are susceptible to Alzheimer's disease did not become depressed.
Learn more about preimplantation genetic diagnosis by visiting http://www.havingbabies.com/infertility-education/preimplantation-genetic-diagnosis-pgd/