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Asked by fatima on 12 Nov 2021.
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Thomas Nicol answered on 12 Nov 2021:
Yes, but only if we know about the underlying genetic causes of that disease. There are many diseases that we don’t understand the underlying genetic condition or where there are lots of genes involved so each allele only contributes to the risk of developing that disease and it is not a simple direct relationship.
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Madeleine Heep answered on 15 Nov 2021:
It depends on the condition. For some things, for example, Down Syndrome there is a very easy test available. However, most diseases are very, very complex and we can not really say which gene is causing it.
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Magdalena Sutcliffe answered on 15 Nov 2021:
Some diseases have been clearly shown to be caused by a mutation in a certain gene and such a disease can be diagnosed by a genetic test. Good examples of such diseases are cystic fibrosis, Huntington disease or BRACA-dependent breast and ovarian cancer. Some other diseases are also caused by genetic mutations that a person carries but either they are caused by a combination of mutations in multiple genes or a certain mutation only increases a risk of developing the disease but the environmental factors ultimately lead to the person becoming ill. There are also diseases caused purely by environmental factors, such as infectious diseases, and they can’t be tested for by genetic testing. However, detecting or testing the DNA of a various or other pathogen can sometimes help with diagnosis, such as PCR test for covid.
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Jessica Yang answered on 17 Nov 2021:
Yes – for some conditions. This does not work for all conditions, usually only ones that have a clear genetic cause, like Huntington’s disease. Many conditions are too complex, and if a genetic test is saying it can test for it, usually it can only tell you if you are at increased risk of getting it. So if you do get one be sure to read it thoroughly!
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