Full DNA Test ? Important Things You Should Know

Posted by alvina on July 25th, 2018

There are as many as 3 billion ways in which something can go wrong with your DNA. But events of an error in a single gene causing diseases, which is known as ‘big ticket’ mutations among geneticists, are pretty rare. Therefore, doctors don’t recommend a full DNA test every now and then. But since the cost of this test continues to fall and organizations offer various ways for patients to take a look into their DNA, doctors are trying to understand how genetic information can be integrated into your next checkup. Are these tests really able to help people become healthier? Or will they only daunt physicians, scare patients and bring in unnecessary costs?

In order to find this out, the first randomized study of whole genome sequencing was conducted by a primary care doctor Jason Vassy on 50 patients in which the doctor and his colleagues were expecting to find at the most one person with a marker of one of the occasional, monogenic diseases. However, they found 11 which was an outrageously high number. And to the surprise of Dr. Vassy, the conditions were never heard of by any physician. Also, it was surprising that except one of the patients, none showed any symptoms of their genetic illnesses.

This study shows that full genetic testing can indeed make you aware of a disease that you can fall prey to in the future and thus, you can start taking precautions and treatment at a much earlier stage so as to avoid the disease.

The results of full genome testing can be divided into three categories.

1. Single-gene Disorders

These are also known as Mendelian disorders. These diseases are caused by a mutation in the DNA of only one gene. Sickle cell anemia is an example of this type of diseases.

2. Multi-factorial Disorders

These are illnesses that are caused due to changes in the DNA of more than one gene. Examples of this type of diseases include diabetes and obesity and usually are greatly influenced by your environment.

3. Pharmacogenomic Profile

These use the genetic code of an individual to find out how they will respond to a medication so that a correct amount can be prescribed.

How can You be Tested?

While genetic testing is mainly used in research. However, many companies can sequence your DNA through something called direct-to-consumer tests. Even you can buy a home DNA test kit.

But you should be cautious because when you send away your cheek swab or spit, you are disclosing the full genetic code that is uniquely yours. These may cause privacy issues.

If you want to do a full genetic test, you should do it after careful research and discussing with your doctor.