Learn more about genetic testing for children and families
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Genetic testing is a huge and increasingly popular trend. With its current higher visibility, much reduced price tag, and better science to back it up, more and more people are finding they have access to a very diverse array of genetic testing based information. New companies spring up every day, but not all genetic testing companies are created equal. There are several considerations you will want to take into account.
The human genome, described below, is the sum total of all the component genes in the body. It is the code and a major part of the operating system for the human body. If something has gone wrong in the genome, or is likely to, it is best to know about it sooner rather than later. Genetic screening tests and genetic health testing can identify and single out changes in genes and their main components: strands of DNA, chromosomes, or proteins.
Rare diseases are only rare when you count them one by one. Collectively, rare diseases affect up to 30 million people in the United States alone, and a recent scientific paper published in the European Journal of Human Genetics
Very few types of genetic testing are actually done online. Many types of genetic tests can be ordered online for at-home testing, and quite a few online options are available to help analyze and review the results of your genetic testing, once you have them.
Diagnostic genetic testing can help identify an individual’s potential risk for developing a rare disease. In some cases, diagnostic genetic testing can definitively determine a medical diagnosis for symptoms that have been as yet unexplained for the patient. In other cases, it can contribute information that can lead to a correct diagnosis, pending further examination.
DNA testing is a type of genetic testing. It is a medically based test to analyze DNA components. You can voluntarily decide to have your DNA tested if there is something you wish to know. There are currently upwards of 1000 types of genetic tests in use, with more being developed all the time. Some are quite popular for personal interests such as genealogical tracing and ancestry studies. Other DNA tests are used to determine medical and health results.
What is genetic testing exactly? Genetic testing is a way to examine your DNA. DNA is the biological database that contains and communicates instructions for your body’s growth and function. During genetic testing, mutations in your genes may be revealed. These changes can cause disease, malformation, or a variety of disorders.
There are currently over 7,000 identified rare genetic disorders. In theory each of these can be detected by genetic screening, however knowing which rare disease you are looking for, can greatly enhance the accuracy of genetic testing.
Diagnosis of a rare disease can take two main forms. A diagnosis can confirm that an individual is a carrier for a specific genetic mutation or chromosomal change, and at risk of developing a genetic syndrome themselves, or at risk of passing the mutation on to their future children.