Genetic Health
Have you ever had a reaction to a medicine? Headaches, nausea, drowsiness and irritability are common side effects of both prescription and non-prescription medications. There are many reasons that people react to medications. Age, sex, weight and overall health are a few factors that affect how a drug reacts in your body.
Recent research in genetic science has shown that some people have variations in their genetic make-up that can cause a reaction to a drug. Pharmacogenetics, also known as pharmacogenomics, studies the way that your genetic characteristics affect the assimilation and effectiveness of drugs in your body.
Genetic Health Markers and Adverse Drug Events
Genetic testing identifies changes in the DNA of specific genes to evaluate the genetic health of an individual. Some genetic variants suggest that a person may have an increased risk of developing certain diseases. Other genetic variants may affect the action of particular drugs. Reactions to drugs constitute a serious health problem across the world. Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Research suggests
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The most common genes that affect drug metabolism are the cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes, which control the reaction of more than 70 percent of prescribed drugs. If you have variants of CYP genes, you may not get the predicted therapeutic benefit of the drug, or you may experience serious side effects. If the gene variant results in a slower rate of drug metabolism, the drug may build up in your body and cause a toxic reaction. If your genetic make-up causes a faster rate of drug metabolism, the medicine may be inactivated before you get the therapeutic benefit. If you have a genetic variant that is associated with the way a medicine may perform, your doctor can devise a drug treatment plan that includes medicines and doses that are safe and effective for
Adverse reactions to drugs are common and almost any drug can cause an adverse reaction.
When used in healthcare, genetic testing can show the genetic cause of a disease, confirm a suspected diagnosis of an illness, predict future illnesses, and predict responses to
Genetic testing identifies changes in ones genes and chromosomes. These changes often lead to diagnoses of conditions, disorders, or diseases. Through testing, “one can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or
Genetic testing, can affect a person’s life in many ways. Genetic testing is a type of medical testing that identifies changes that occur in chromosomes, proteins, and genes. These changes that occur can be associated, and often are associated with inherited
The likely secondary audiences are genetic counselors, possibly younger or older couples outside of the specified age range, and doctors used for referrals.
Genetics can help answer questions about our traits and why we look different and advance in different ways from each other in the world. Chapter 1 explains the basics about how genes work, and the portrayal of DNA and RNA. Chapter 2 describes RNA more in detail and it consist of the explanation of the human genome. Specifically, Chapter 3 clarifies how evolution works and how it relates to genetic and medical research. Furthermore, Chapter 4 and 5 explains the knowledge researchers have about genes role in health and diseases, and how society is affected with the advances in medicine and science given approximate credit to these researchers.
According to Chrystoja and Diamandis (2013), targeted genome testing is less costly than some traditional testing methods, is effective in assisting decision making for certain neoplastic medications and is useful in guiding the proper testing for certain diseases such as Lynch Syndrome. In addition, genetic makeup determines the pharmacokinetics of certain drugs and genome testing may assist in medication therapies. Studies indicate that genetic predisposition determines the effectiveness of 20% to 95% of prescribed medications (Bartlett, 2011). With DNA information, a physician can prescribe a tailored medication treatment that will benefit the
According to Berger (2014), a patient can receive genetic counseling to learn more about a condition/disease he or she may possibly be at risk for and may possibly pass onto their children (p. 88). A genetic counselor is educated and trained to describe to the patient the condition/disease, the benefits and drawbacks for taking the genetic test, the test results’ meaning, and how having the condition could affect their future children (Berger, 2014, p. 88). Then, the patient – not the genetic counselor – makes decisions about his or her next steps with respect to all the information they have been provided by the genetic counselor (Berger, 2014, p. 89).
Everyone stands to benefit from the developments made in the field of genetics as everyone is made of genes. Genetics is the study genes and how they influence human biology. Genes are the molecular unit of inheritance found in cells, these genes encode everything about human physiology ranging from eye/hair colour to height, possible mental/physical disorders and so on. The field of genetic testing is concerned with advancements in the study of the functions of individual genes and how they influence living things. Major advances have been made in the study of the genetic structure of humans and external influences to our internal makeup, such as our quality of life and their implications that may have on our physical and mental development.
Adverse drug events include adverse drug reactions (ADRs); drug-drug interactions due to uncertainty about the benefits and harms of simultaneous treatment; drug-disease interactions due to potential risk of worsening one condition by treating a co-existing one; improper drug election, sub- and supra-therapeutic dosage, noncompliance/failure to receive drug, and wrong drug (10, 13-16). Older adults are at increased risk for developing adverse drug events due to multiple concurrent diseases and physiological changes that occur as part of the ageing process, particularly, in pharmacokinetics (reduced renal elimination) and pharmacodynamics (increased sensitivity to certain medications) affecting drug disposition (10).
To an extent, most diseases are related back to the genetic makeup you are born with. For example, your genes can influence your risk for certain degenerative diseases from osteoporosis to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes or even something as simple as the common cold (“Direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits”, 2010). Your genetics can also determine how susceptible your body is to infections, allergic reactions, or how your body breaks body nutrients and drugs (Direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits, 2010). Due to scientific and technological advancements, it not now possible to predict your unique risk for certain diseases and how to prevent them through at home genetic testing kits (“Direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits”, 2010).
As we know, everyone one has a unique gene sequence. Personalized medicine is helping us to understand disease characteristics at the gene level and create better treatments programs by studying our genetic profile. A web writer at the American Society for Clinical Pathology John Sarver (2013) says: “The
It is based on the belief that all drugs are taking through pathways to break them down. The pathways are able to break down the drugs so they can digest into the person’s system. It tailors drug for a person’s use. How the drug is processed is how well you will react to it. Pharmacogenetics is when scientists examine the genomes of an individual genetic gene. It combines the science of drug and the study of genes and functions.It’s the study of how people get affected by drugs.The drugs that are administered, has to be broken down. The pathways are created by our genes.
Someone might develop an allergic reaction to certain medication, in some cases rashes will occur, in severe cases one will stop breathing properly. One might become confused or agitated, be put off food or become very drowsy. There are types of adverse reactions:
Pharmacodynamics is the study of how a drug reacts on a living organism. Pharmacodynamics with pharmacokinetics helps explain the relationship between the