Genetic testing with your Private GP has increasingly become a possibility as testing gets more extensive and a little cheaper. It remains quite an expensive test and takes several weeks for results to become available as the testing of your saliva is a very laborious and time-consuming process.
It does not require a blood test, just a collection of saliva.
So, what are the benefits of testing?
Well, it can provide you with the knowledge to be proactive with your health and wthat of siblings and children who may also have inherited similar genes. This may mean a change in lifestyle or treatment. If you find you have, for instance a high risk of heart disease. You might choose to lose weight, exercise, eat copious fruit and vegetables, stop smoking, have your blood pressure regularly monitored and take a statin to reduce cholesterol levels, even where they are not particularly high. The finding of other genes, may allow early preventative medication to prevent disease development.
Some people, on learning they have inherited a gene like BRCA 1, say, that results in a 90% risk of breast cancer, might start early screening or even have prophylactic surgery.
The finding of other genes that give a near 100% risk of life-threatening conditions like Huntingdon’s’ Chorea might lead to radical changes in life plans. Some people who know that, because of family history, that they have a 50% risk of inheriting a condition, may wish to be certain one way or another, others may choose not to know. Knowing that you have not inherited a dangerous gene can take a huge weight off peoples’ minds and allow them to live life to the full.
Finding you are a carrier of a gene can be helpful. Some carriers will not develop any disease but, were they to meet a partner who also carried the gene, they might produce offspring that do develop a disease. Prenatal testing, of more severe life-threatening diseases, may allow early detection and offer an opportunity to end a pregnancy early.
Other types of test are performed on people who have already developed cancer and are used to determine the most effective treatment.
The disadvantages are the reverse. It would be devastating to learn that you do indeed carry a gene for a serious disease. But the gene test does not alter the fact that you might develop a disease. It does offer the chance to change how you live your life.
We can offer two different types of testing.
The first, not only examines your risk of cancer and heart disease, it also analyses genes that can influence how your body processes certain medications including those given for common pain, heart disease, and mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. This screen is priced at £550.
A slightly cheaper version tests for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes, where mutations can indicate increased risk of developing breast, melanoma, pancreatic, prostate and ovarian cancers. AND an additional 28 genes which can also indicate risk in the areas of uterine, colorectal (bowel) and stomach cancer. This is priced at £450. Results are usually available within four weeks of testing. You will be counselled before and after testing to explain the pros and cons and later to explain the outcome of the test.
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