Genetic tests for preventive medicine: what are they for?

Genetic testing has become a key tool in the diagnosis of diseases and health disorders. Today, it is common for physicians and healthcare professionals to prescribe genetic tests that allow them to confirm or rule out clinical suspicions about their patients, after evaluating their clinical picture and symptoms. However, the new era of medicine ̶ 5P medicine ̶ is revolutionizing the diagnosis, prevention, and monitoring of the population, replacing the traditional approach based on the use of generalized treatments once symptoms are detected in the patient with a predictive approach that allows action to be taken before the onset of clinical complications.

The 5P medicine

• Preventive : Information about the patient should be obtained before the development of the disease to help make decisions that prevent the appearance of the first symptoms.
• Predictive : This information should be used to analyze and calculate the risk of that person developing a disease, so that it can be treated before complications arise.
• Personalized : A patient’s genetics, family history, lifestyle, etc., must be taken into account to adopt a case-specific approach to diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up.
• Precision : Patients with the same disease do not respond equally to a specific treatment. Therefore, it is important to know which medications are most likely to benefit the patient, saving them time and potentially adverse side effects from medications that are unlikely to be beneficial.
• Participatory : the patient must be placed at the center of the health system, educating and providing the appropriate tools so that the patient can participate in the responsibility of caring for his or her own health.

Genetic information, key in preventing health problems.

To predict a person’s risk of developing any health complication, understanding their genetics is key. From the moment we are born, the unique makeup of our DNA determines the risks we will have throughout our lives of developing multiple health problems . Knowing this information early allows us to adapt and implement specific lifestyle habits, nutritional guidelines, or medical follow-ups to counteract, minimize, or control the genetic risk. In fact, it is estimated that 25% of the health complications we suffer are due to genetic causes. While we know we cannot modify our DNA, we can obtain its information early, identify risk variants, and act accordingly.

AboutMe genetic tests are based on a state-of-the-art tool that allows us to know all the genetic information related to the risk of developing complications in nutrition, microbial, premature aging, response to drugs, or hereditary diseases. Thus, and once we have identified those parameters for which a person presents a genetic risk, we can act preventively before associated complications appear . For example, if we genetically detect the presence of genetic variants in the DQA1 and DQB1 genes that confer a very high risk of developing celiac disease, and the person already shows symptoms compatible with gluten intolerance, we will recommend reducing or eliminating gluten from the diet preventively for that person, without waiting for the inflammatory state of the intestine to become chronic, the villi of the intestinal cells to be damaged and degenerated, and all the secondary complications associated with permanent gluten intolerance or celiac disease to develop.

If you’d like to learn more details, interesting facts, and applications of our preventive medicine genetic tests, we recommend reading our dedicated posts. And if you have any questions, we’ll be happy to help.

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