Your child's genetic destiny?

How is your child's 'genetic destiny'? Does diabetes have a genetic background in your family? Or does genetic testing show that your baby is at risk for heart disease?

In an era where genetic testing is inviting to customers directly, many people are afraid that parents will be too confident in the results of genetic manipulation. But new research from CS Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan shows that information from family history or family history and genetic testing provides similar concerns for parents about the risk of disease. of children.

The author of the study, Dr. Beth A. Tarini, professor of pediatrics and a member of the Child Health Research and Evaluation Unit (CHEAR) of the Department of Pediatrics at Mott, said: 'We are very surprised to find that parents are not only worried about the results of their child's genetic testing, but they are also very concerned about the genetic risk stemming from the history of their lineage. The results of our study show that even when genetic testing becomes easier, family history still plays an important role in assessing children's health '.

In contrast, when asked about themselves, parents often worry when family history - not genetic test results - shows the risk of developing the disease.

Tarini stressed: 'Parents evaluate their risk to themselves differently from their children. For parents, family history - observable genetic fate - is a key factor when assessing the risk of genetic disease.

The study - published in the journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine in November - interviewed parents about the level of concern about the risk of genetic disease for themselves as well as for their children based. on family history and genetic testing results.

How is your child's 'genetic destiny' ? (Photo: thuvienkhoahoc.com)

Genetic testing services directly to customers make it easier for parents to get genetic test results and studies have shown awareness of the risk of genetic disease affecting health care decisions. strong. Thus, Tarini and colleagues argue that it is important to understand whether parents are more concerned about their children's genetic risk through genetic testing.

Overall, the source of information about the risk of genetic disease - the results of genetic testing or family history - does not affect their concerns about their children's risk of illness. Tarini said these results reinforce the importance of using family history, not just genetic testing results, to assess the risk of disease.

Methodology: Research using data from a national online survey is conducted in collaboration with Knowledge Network. The survey was conducted on an abundance of 2,857 adults, aged 18 and older. The number of these samples is then processed to reflect US numbers. About three-quarters of the participants are parents. They are provided with information about the genetic risk of themselves and the youngest child in the family, based on either family history or genetic test results.

Sponsorship: The UM Health Science Program sponsors research

Author: Along with Tarini, other authors from the Department of Pediatrics at CS Mott Pediatric Hospital include Dianne Singer, MS; Sarah J. Clark, MPH; and Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP

Refer:
1. Tarini et al.Parents' Concern About Their Own RiskArchives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Vol.162, No.11 [link]