Genetic Research Findings and Disease Management for Families

Genetics research has led to an expanded view of health care and a different way of thinking about the meaning of the word patient. Our knowledge of the heritability of some diseases mandates a shift in the focus of care. A new perspective must consider the care of the individual along with the care of the family. In the context of genetics and genomics, these are interdependent. As a consequence, the sequence of disease assessment and management may alternate. It may begin with diagnosis of disease in an individual and follow to the diagnosis of similarly affected family member, or it may begin with family assessment and lead to predictive predisposition testing in unaffected individuals. This flexibility in perspective has been one of the principal ...