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People have increasing opportunities to participate in genetictesting that can indicate their range of risk for developing adisease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up ordiminish test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-uphealth services, according to a study performed by researchers atthe National Institutes of Health and colleagues at otherinstitutions. The study in the early online issue of Genetics in Medicine wasdone by investigators with the Multiplex Initiative, a multi-centercollaborative initiative involving investigators from the NationalInstitutes of Health's Intramural Research Program, Group HealthCooperative in Seattle, and the Henry Ford Health System inDetroit. The tests are available from a growing number of commercialproducers, and health care providers have been uncertain whetherpeople who received information only about risk would follow up bydemanding diagnostic testing to monitor for predicted illnesses. The study is the first to use electronic health records - ratherthan self-reported behavior - to measure the impact of genetictesting on the subsequent consumption of health services bycommercially insured, healthy adults. Self reports, which can beaffected by memory lapses and other problems, tend to be lessaccurate. "We need to understand the impact of genomic discoveries on thehealth care system if these powerful technologies are going toimprove human health," said Dan Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., scientificdirector and head of the National Human Genome Research Institute's(NHGRI) Division of Intramural Research. "We are still learning howto integrate new genomic discoveries into clinical care effectivelyand efficiently." "There are a lot of unanswered questions about how genetic testresults can be used to guide people towards making positivelifestyle and health behavior changes," said Colleen McBride,Ph.D., chief of NHGRI's Social and Behavioral Research Branch."This study goes a long way towards bringing data to these debatesand shows that people are not likely to make inappropriate demandsof health delivery systems if they are properly informed about thelimitations of genetic tests." Genetic tests, such as those used in this study, can detect commonvariants of genes associated with modest alterations in the chancesof developing particular diseases. The term multiplex refers tosimultaneously performing multiple genetic tests on a single bloodsample. The study included 217 healthy people between the ages of 25 and 40who elected to participate in genetic susceptibility testingoffered by their health plan. The researchers analyzed health careusage by the participants in the 12 months before genetic testingand the 12 months following the testing. They also compared thetest group's behavior with a group of about 400 similar planmembers who declined the testing offer. The researchers counted the number of physician visits andlaboratory tests or procedures the people received, particularlythose services associated with four of the eight conditions testedby the multiplex panel. Most of the procedures or screening teststhat were counted are not among those currently recommended forpeople in this age group who don't have symptoms. The researchersfound that participants in genetic testing did not change theiroverall use of health care services compared with those not tested. All of the individuals who elected to undergo the multiplex testcarried at least one at-risk genetic marker, with the majoritycarrying an average of nine at-risk variants. The tests performedfor the Multiplex Initiative include a set of genetic variantsreliably associated with an increase in disease risk and for whichsome corrective health behavior has been shown to prevent illness. Having a risk version of one of the 15 genes on the multiplexgenetic test does not mean that a person is certain to get thecondition - only that he or she might have a slightly greaterchance of developing the health condition, explained Dr. McBride.There are many things other than genetics that contribute to therisk of common diseases, including lifestyle factors such as diet,exercise, smoking and sun exposure. "Much is written about using genetics to personalize health care,"said co-author Lawrence C. Brody, Ph.D., chief of NHGRI's GenomeTechnology Branch. "Some think that this new generation of genetictests will be a very positive addition to medicine; others believethey have the potential to make things worse." Dr. Brody designed the panel of genetic tests used in the MultiplexInitiative, consisting of 15 genetic markers that play roles ineight common diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heartdisease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, osteoporosis,lung cancer, colorectal cancer and melanoma. The Multiplex Initiative was launched in May 2007 by the NHGRIDivision of Intramural Research and the National Cancer Institute,both at NIH, along with Group Health Cooperative in Seattle and theHenry Ford Health System in Detroit. For the first two years of thestudy, the investigators accumulated data from 2,000 Detroit arearesidents who were offered a multiplex genetic test for eightcommon conditions. Once enrolled, participants were asked to review information onlineabout the multiplex genetic test and to decide whether they wereinterested in taking the test. Those who agreed to genetic testingmet with a research educator, who provided more information aboutthe risks and benefits of testing, and obtained the patient'swritten consent. Test results were mailed to participants. Trained researcheducators called the participants to help them interpret andunderstand their results. The study also included follow-upinterviews with participants three months after they received theirresults. I am an expert from puffy-stickers.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China EVA Stickers , China Rhinestone Stickers, Puffy Stickers,and more.
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