Many sickness are hereditary.Is it possible with modern medicinal research to detect straits of it on anyone?

Question

Many doctors say several diseases like diabetes,cardio ailments,even cancer are sometimes herditary.If you are stricken with one they ask if any in the family circle had been stricken with it.

With medical research reaching such proportions with gene theory,dna,cloning etc could a doctor now tell you by tests whether you posess those genes or straits that you had inherited from your father's or mother's side which could be a potential threat to your health in the future.

Could they also specifically say which is predominant so that you can take counter action before it overtakes you

Answer 1

Your initial statement is misleading. Actually, a PREDISPOSITION to those diseases is what may be hereditary. It 's not easy to alter our genetics, but we CAN make healthy decisions to decrease the risk of those diseases.

Far, far more important than genetics are things we CAN control - diet, exercise and not smoking. If we all ate healthy, unprocessed foods at reasonable quantities and got daily exercise, the incidence of obesity, diabetes and heart disease would plummet.

Everybody wants a quick fix without doing the hard work necessary to maintain health.

If you found you DIDN'T have a gene that put you at high risk for heart disease, would you eat a lot of fat and sit on the couch all day? You'd put yourself right up in the same risk strata as those WITH the gene.

It makes more sense to focus gene therapies on diseases that ARE purely genetic, like cystic fibrosis, Huntington's chorea, and so forth.

Answer 2

They're working on it. The most prevalent genetic diseases will come first, obviously, with the rare ones being enough more expensive. And it's not just selfishness or greed on the part of the researchers. A relatively common disease will inevitably have a better organized, larger foundation (more likely several) supporting the research, and also lobbyists in Washington promoting government aid. Also, the more people who have either the disease or the family background, it is easier to find volunteers for the blood tests or whatever is needed to do the research.

Answer 3

I say "all we can do is to dream!" There is no way you can change genetic traits now, with very few exemptions.
But anything will be possible within a future (not now).

Right now, we only can avoid triggers that turn on these genes: hypertension, diabetes control, etc
I'm a Panamanian MD

Answer 4

Yes, you can have what's called genome mapping and it will tell you within very close percentages what you're at risk for, heart disease, types of cancer, even Alzheimer's and other mental health issues.

It used to cost around $70,000 to have it done, now it's around $10,000. After getting the information, you can act accordingly as far as diet or other pre-emptive measures.

Answer 5

Of course there are means to check for hereditary diseases. See a genetic specialist; family history, blood work etc. will determine if there are risk factors in your family.

Answer 6

Every day we have new technology and if your family has something check with your doctor and see if they have anyway to detect it early and go from there