14 DAY TRIAL // In a new research, experts have discovered that parents are very likely to apply genetic testing to their children as well, if the opportunity becomes available. Nearly all of those who said that they would take the tests added that they would also apply it to their kids.
This is very worrying because these tests are not meant to be used as stand-alone diagnostics tools, but rather as informative assessments, designed to inform lifestyle choices and general behavior patterns.
But now that predictive genetic tests are available to the general public, doctors and other healthcare providers could expect to see more and more people wandering into their offices, and asking about what they should do in regards to the information they get from the tests.
Details of the new work appear in the April 18 online issue of the esteemed medical journal Pediatrics, and will also be published in the May print issue of the magazine. One of the main messages experts have for consumers who use these tests is to always keep in mind that they are controversial.
Some may provide mixed results, but even if they are 100 percent accurate genetically, there is no way for them to predict that someone will develop a certain disease with great precision. There are numerous other factors that contribute to the onset of disease, that these tests don't account for.
According to Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, an expert at the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, parents will soon become the target of ads that will call on them to investigate their kids with such tests.
Tercyak, also an associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at the Center, says that these findings “should remind clinicians and policy-makers to consider children when regulating genetic tests.”
“These tests usually don't offer a clean bill of health and can be hard to interpret even in the best scenario. They identify incremental risks for many common diseases,” adds the expert, who is also the lead author of the new paper.
“Most people carry some risk based on a combination of their family history, genetics, and lifestyle. A child's unexpected test results could trigger negative reactions among parents and children, and lead to conversations at the pediatrician's office that providers aren't prepared to have,” he reveals.
Parents are apparently interested in the data these tests provide because they believe that the new information could contribute to maintaining their health, preventing diseases, or other benefits.
“I counsel teens who are overweight and who have other concerns about their health because of certain diseases that run in the family. Someday, the results of pediatric genetic tests could better inform these conversations,” adds Kirsten B. Hawkins, MD, MPH, who was not a part of the study.
“For now, encouraging parents and their children to avoid smoking, consume a well-balanced diet, and stay active are good advice for remaining healthy,” she adds.
Hawkins holds an appointment as an assistant professor of pediatrics at GUMC and as the chief of the section of adolescent medicine at Georgetown University Hospital.