Genetic counseling and its importance

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Genetic diseases occur due to abnormalities consisting in the genomic material of the living beings. It may transmit from one generation to the other but it may also be limited only in the affected individual. Everyone carries a risk for a particular genetic disease but a greater risk is observed in some families. Today, in parallel with the development in genetics, an increasing demand from the public and medical field is present. This situation brings importance of informing individuals, their families and their children of their present or future genetic conditions, a process called genetic counseling. Although there is no treatment for most of the genetic diseases, genetic counseling has an important role in conditions such as family planning, diagnosis of genetic diseases and possible novel treatment protocols. In our country, there are genetic centers based in the university hospitals, state hospitals and private medical centers. The importance of genetics and genetic counseling is gradually being understood by the people who have been referred for genetic counseling, and by the physicians and other health care workers who refer those providers to the genetic centers. They ensure more individuals receive this service as well. In this review, genetic counseling, its status in our country and in the world is presented widely with up-to-date literature.

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Genetic counseling , genetic services , genetic testing

Cumhuriyet Medical Journal

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Cumhuriyet Medical Journal