It is very unlikely that genetic tests will cause any physical risks, especially those that only involve blood samples or buccal smears (a method of taking cells from the inside of the cheek). A small but real risk of miscarriage arises from the procedures used for prenatal diagnostic testing (called amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling) since they require samples of amniotic fluid or tissue.
It is common for people to feel angry, depressed, anxious, or guilty about the results of genetic testing. People may be emotionally, socially, or financially impacted. Genetic testing can lead to tension within a family in some cases since the results can reveal information regarding other family members in addition to the test taker. It is also possible that genetic discrimination will result in employment or insurance discrimination. Additional information can be found in What is genetic discrimination?
An inherited condition can be revealed only in limited ways by Sparks DNA Testing. It can’t determine if a person will show symptoms, how severe the symptoms will be, or whether the condition will progress. In addition, a number of genetic disorders don’t have effective treatment strategies once they are diagnosed.
When considering genetic testing, it’s important to understand the benefits, risks, and limitations of the test before making a decision. A genetics professional can explain these factors in detail.
Risks and limitations
Your desired health condition or trait may not be available for testing.
- Genetic tests performed by a healthcare professional can often confirm the results of this type of testing.
- It is possible to miss disease-causing variants by testing a subset of variants within genes.
- A stressful or upsetting event may occur when you receive unexpected information about your health, family relationships, or ancestry.
- Genetic counseling and informed consent are often not provided as testing is done outside of a healthcare clinic.
- Results from tests may lead people to make incorrect, incomplete, or misunderstood decisions regarding disease treatment or prevention.
- Testing companies are currently not regulated or overseen.
- A particular genetic variation may not be associated with a disease or trait based on insufficient scientific evidence. Unproven or invalid tests can be misleading.
- A testing company using your genetic information in an unauthorized way or stealing your data may compromise your genetic privacy.
- Obtaining long-term care, life, or disability insurance may be affected by genetic testing.
You may not be aware of all of these factors when you have genetic testing direct-to-consumer. Other genetic and environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and your family’s medical history all play a role in your risk of developing many diseases. It is common for doctors and genetic counselors to discuss these factors during a consultation, but they are not generally addressed when using genetic tests at home.
Limitations of DNA Evidence
A DNA match from a crime scene to DNA taken from a suspect does not necessarily indicate guilt, but it is powerful, and it has its limitations as well. One of these limitations is due to misconceptions about what it means. Forensic experts prefer to talk about probability. For example, they might say: There is a 1-7,000 chance that an unrelated person will have a similar DNA profile based on the evidence. Prosecutors can make strong cases against suspects with the use of statistical analysis as well as other evidence.
There is a so-called “CSI effect,” which lawyers and judges claim to influence criminal justice due to the way DNA analysis is portrayed in movies and television. As a result of the CSI effect, jurors often demand DNA tests when they are unnecessary or overuse DNA evidence to the exclusion of other physical evidence.
Despite these concerns, DNA fraud the planting of fake DNA samples at crime scenes — is even more troubling. The problem goes far beyond planting fake DNA evidence obtained from someone else. For example, Canadian physician John Schneeberger planted fake DNA evidence in his body in 1992 to avoid suspicion of rape. Israeli scientists recently discovered that they could manufacture DNA samples without obtaining any tissue from an individual by accessing profiles stored in a DNA database.
A test developed by Nucleix is intended for sale to forensic laboratories, allowing them to distinguish between real DNA samples and fake ones. Aside from slowing down busy labs even more, taking these extra precautions will result in a serious backlog of forensic casework. More than half a million cases are backlogged in forensic labs, according to a study conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics [source: Houck], meaning felons and violent offenders may still be roaming the streets while their DNA evidence is being tested [source: Houck].
Despite advancements in Cheap DNA ancestry testing, some challenges are likely to ease, while new challenges will probably arise. Next, we’ll explore some of these advances in more detail.