Genetic testing is becoming increasingly common. It is not, however, suitable for everyone. Genetic testing results are frequently uninformative, increasing tension and concern over the risk of a condition you may never get.
Genetic testing and its pros and cons should be advocated only when there is an effective medicine to prevent or treat the ailment being screened for. Genetic testing that does not allow you to take action to lessen or modify your risk for a specific disease is of limited use.
Advantages of Genetic Testing for Disease Treatment
Knowing if you have a genetic variation might help you choose the right therapy if you already have an illness. “Many women with early-stage invasive breast cancer might safely forego chemotherapy if they score in the mid-range or below for risk of recurrence, as evaluated by a routinely used genetic test,” according to a 2018 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Benefits of genetics testing include that The appropriate genetic test for the right person might provide information that allows a clinician to suggest an alternative treatment option. This is where genetic testing may be beneficial.
Changes in Lifestyle for Disease Prevention
If you don’t currently have a condition, knowing you have a genetic variation for it may motivate you to adopt suitable lifestyle/behavioral adjustments to reduce your chance of developing it.
If you know you have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease owing to a genetic mutation, you can alter your lifestyle to reduce your risk.
Stress is released as a result of a lack of genetic variants.
Learning whether or whether you have a genetic mutation can help you overcome your “fear of the unknown.” Consider the anxiety that comes with conducting an online search for a single symptom and the slew of emerging ailments. It’s a source of concern for everyone.
Genetic testing can disclose whether or not you are inclined to certain forms of cancer and other ailments, perhaps reducing your stress.
Genetic Testing’s Drawbacks
A Negative Test Could hide additional Causes.
Any genetic test result can not guarantee that you will not get an illness. It just indicates you don’t have the disease’s specific genetic variation.
Other variables, such as environmental factors (such as pollutants in the air or water) and lifestyle behaviors, might cause diseases (like an unhealthy diet or smoking).
A positive test may unnecessarily add to your stress level.
A positive test might create tension needlessly, just as information can reduce stress if it comes back negative. If a genetic test results in a positive impact for a disease, it does not indicate you will get the condition.
If you get a positive test in your 40s, you might spend the rest of your life worrying about whether or not the disease will strike. And it’s possible it won’t. A positive genetic test only indicates that you’re at a higher risk of developing it in the future, but it doesn’t mean you’ll have it.
Purgatory for Genetics
“Genetic purgatory” is also a possibility. You can have a gene diagnosed as a “variant of uncertain significance,” or VUS, leading to the mental game of “maybe it’s terrible, maybe it’s not.” This might cause emotional distress or, even worse, unnecessary medical procedures.
Cost
Even though the cost of genetic sequencing has gradually decreased since its start in the late 1980s, the National Human Genome Research Institute expects that it will cost roughly $1,000. Health insurance coverage varies, depending on the test, and might include partial or whole range.
Insufficient Results Analysis
The importance of qualified interpretation of outcomes cannot be overstated. Not everyone is capable of deciphering data. For this reason, direct-to-consumer kits might be complicated.
Genetic testing can have pros and cons on family relations. If your family members are comfortable and open about discussing genetic test results, this knowledge might assist your doctors and their doctors with treatment recommendations and general health counseling.
Finally, your genes have less impact on your longevity than you may believe. According to a 2012 study from Harvard Medical School, “El Paso DNA testing has a relatively little effect on longevity throughout the first 75 years of life, accounting for about 20% to 25% of why you make it to that age.” The most important things are quitting smoking, eating well, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol use.”
