Genetic counseling seeks to help people evaluate medical records and family history. In most circumstances, people who had genetic testing or would be interested in such tests are likely to consult a genetic counselor to help them facilitate the ordering of genetic testing and in evaluating its results.
Through a genetic counseling, patients who are newly diagnosed to have been afflicted of a particular disease, couples and those who are planning a pregnancy are given understanding on the factual information about the disease and the impact it will have on their lives, with hope to come up with wise decisions in life.
The process of the counseling is non-directive. It involves the participation of specially trained health care professional who analyzes the risks of recurrence of diseases and inheritance patterns, identifies families who are at risks, and reviews options available to the family. It does not necessarily mean that the gene counseling is only suitable for women who are pregnant.
Even mothers who are beyond 35 years old or those who have inherited diseases from their family members, and children with genetic disorder or birth defect may want to see a genetic counselor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe that some ethnic groups have greater chances of acquiring genetic disorders. African Americans, Central and Eastern Jews, and the Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern Thalassemia are more vulnerable to sickle cell anemia and tay-sachs diseases.
To begin with the genetic counseling, the genetic counselor will help people evaluate the genetic risks by making a comprehensive background on particular diseases and why they happened. The healthcare provider may a few questions such as having a history of diabetes, hypertension, twins or cancer, presence of diseases afflicting one's family, having a history of genetic disorders like hemophilia, muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.
The questions can even get more personal and sensitive like revealing one's ethnic background, knowing if the parents are still alive and healthy, and having someone in the family who suffers from mental retardation or any type of birth defects.
The genes are what compose the DNA. They are the basic building blocks of heredity. The human DNA constitutes the 46 chromosomes or 23 pairs. The first half of them is inherited from the mother, and the other half from the father. If a gene is believed to be defective, its counterpart gene will perform the tasks assigned to both genes.
Some of the factors why people develop genetic illnesses can range from spontaneous mutation, to errors in cell division, and from defect in the development of egg or sperm cell to recreational drug use. Even exposure to lead or industrial chemicals can cause changes in the single gene and thus may trigger a disease. The most common root cause of disease, however, is the chromosomal abnormalities. The genetic disorders, which are identified as recessive, dominant and X-linked could also be caused by a single gene.
For a genetic disorder to be dominant, it must be caused by one defective gene that is dominant and overrides the normal counterpart gene. If both genes are faulty, the genetic disorder is believed to be recessive. It is called x-linked if the disorder is caused by a defective gene on an X chromosome of males.
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