How Is Our Understanding of Human Genetic Variation Affecting Medicine?
Figure 5 Virtually all human diseases, except perhaps trauma, (more…) Figure 5. Virtually all human diseases, except perhaps trauma, have a genetic component. As noted earlier, one of the benefits of understanding human genetic variation is its practical value for understanding and promoting health and for understanding and combating disease. We probably cannot overestimate the importance of this benefit. First, as Figure 5 shows, virtually every human disease has a genetic component. In some diseases, such as Huntington disease, Tay-Sachs disease, and cystic fibrosis, this component is very large. In other diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, the genetic component is more modest. In fact, we do not typically think of these diseases as “genetic diseases,” because we inherit not the certainty of developing a disease, but only a predisposition to developing it. In still other diseases, the genetic component is very small. The crucial point, however, is that it is ther
Related Questions
- How might a better understanding of human genetic history help to inform discussions about cultural perspectives on race and their relationship to personal and human health?
- How can we use our understanding of human genetic variation to inform our understanding of race and to improve personal and public health?
- How will pharmaceutical companies likely use our increasing understanding of human genetic variation?
