Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
The likelihood of a person developing a disease lies in the genetic makeup of the individual (Aradhya & Nussbaum, 2018, p. 473). For more than a century, human geneticists have focused their studies on finding the relationship between gene variation and disease risk variation (Hernandez et al., 2006, p. 15). Learning about our genetics is essential for health promotion and disease prevention. A positive impact of knowing the genetic propensity to develop a disease gives a better understanding of one’s health and the possibility of developing a condition such as breast cancer. It also provides the opportunity to make changes in a person’s lifestyle or opt for preventive medicine such as prophylactic mastectomy (Aradhya & Nussbaum, 2018, p. 475).
On the other hand, knowing the genetic propensity can also have a negative impact on people’s lives. It could lead to anxiety and depression. For instance, in the case of getting tested for BRCA1 and BRCA2 susceptibility genes, which are mutations linked to a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer, women’s level of anxiety was found to be highly increased due to cancer-related worry (Mella et al., 2017, p. 4). Uncertainness will affect the individual involved and the entire family, work, and personal relationships.
A friend of mine whose family has a significant history of breast cancer decided to get genetic tests done. After learning the positive results of her BRCA mutation, she decided to get a preventive mastectomy at 29 years old. Before having the test done, she lived with constant anxiety and fear of leaving her children without a mother. As stated by Giannakeas & Narod (2018), the decision to have a preventive mastectomy is a personal one, and women have several concerns, some of which are related to the experience of the surgery and some are related to the expected reduction in cancer risk and mortality (p. 263).
References
Aradhya, S., & Nussbaum, R. L. (2018). Genetics in mainstream medicine: Finally, within grasp to influence healthcare globally. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, 6(4), 473-480. https://doi.org/10.1002/mgg3.415
Giannakeas, V., & Narod, S. A. (2018). The expected benefit of preventive mastectomy on breast cancer incidence and mortality in BRCA mutation carriers, by age at mastectomy. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 167(1), 263-267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-017-4476-1
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