View source for Medicine:Predictive testing

'''Predictive testing''' is a form of [[Medicine:Genetic testing|genetic testing]].  It is also known as '''presymptomatic testing'''.  These types of testing are used to detect gene mutations associated with disorders that appear after birth, often later in life. These tests can be helpful to people who have a family member with a genetic disorder, but who have no features of the disorder themselves at the time of testing. Predictive testing can identify [[Biology:Mutation|mutation]]s that increase a person's risk of developing disorders with a genetic basis, such as certain types of [[Medicine:Cancer|cancer]]. For example, an individual with a mutation in [[Biology:BRCA1|BRCA1]] has a 65% cumulative risk of breast cancer. Presymptomatic testing can determine whether a person will develop a genetic disorder, such as hemochromatosis (an iron overload disorder), before any signs or symptoms appear. The results of predictive and presymptomatic testing can provide information about a person's risk of developing a specific disorder and help with making decisions about medical care.

==See also==
* [[Biology:List of human genes|List of human genes]]
* [[Medicine:List of genetic disorders|List of genetic disorders]]

==External links==
*[http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-06-977T GAO report on at-home predictive genetic test kits]

[[Category:Medical tests]]
[[Category:Medical genetics]]



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