By Express News Service
CHENNAI: As parents, we take several precautionary steps to ensure that our little one is safe and healthy. While parents of this generation go above and beyond to educate themselves about various medical frontiers to secure the future of their child, there are still a few areas that remain grey. One of them being the importance of genetic testing and its role in treating childhood on-set disorders.
In urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns. With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage (marriage between close relatives) favoured in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India. Dr Prakash Gambhir, chief medical scientist, LifeCell, lists five key points about genetic testing to help parents provide a healthy future for their child.
What is genetic disorder?Genetic disorder is any disease caused by a change in the DNA sequence either in parts or whole. Some people carry genes of genetic illnesses and might not show any signs themselves. Symptoms are caused only if two of the problem gene are inherited. In the case of babies with genetic disorders, a problematic gene is passed onto the baby by each parent. Some of the common genetic disorders among children are thalassemia, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, fragileX, hemophilia, and autism.
What is genetic testing?It is a simple blood test that examines your DNA to check for alterations in your genes that may lead to illnesses. The test can help doctors identify defective genes and recommend diagnosis/treatment effectively.
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Its all in the genes - The New Indian Express
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