Genetic Risk Factors Flashcards

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What is a genetic risk factor for disease?

A genetic risk factor is an inherited change in DNA that makes it more likely that a person will develop a particular disease.

How are genetic risk factors passed from parents to children?

Genetic risk factors are passed in the genes in egg and sperm cells, so children can inherit them from their biological parents.

What is an allele?

An allele is a different version of the same gene, which can give slightly different characteristics or different levels of disease risk.

Does having a genetic risk factor mean you will definitely get the disease?

No. A genetic risk factor increases the chance of getting the disease, but it does not make it certain.

Why can members of the same family have similar risks of some diseases?

Family members can have similar risks because they may inherit the same alleles that increase the chance of certain diseases.

What is meant by a “family history” of a disease?

A family history of a disease means that several close relatives have had that disease, suggesting there may be shared genetic risk factors.

Give one example of a disease where certain alleles increase the risk.

Certain alleles of the BRCA genes increase the risk of some breast and ovarian cancers.

Can more than one gene affect a person’s risk of getting a disease?

Yes. Many non-communicable diseases are polygenic, which means several different genes each add a small amount to the overall risk.

How can lifestyle and genetic risk factors work together in disease risk?

A person may inherit alleles that raise their risk, and an unhealthy lifestyle can add to this, so their overall risk becomes higher than from either factor alone.

What is a carrier of a genetic condition?

A carrier has one copy of an altered allele for a recessive condition. They usually do not have symptoms but can pass the allele to their children, increasing their children’s risk.

How can genetic testing be used for genetic risk factors?

Genetic testing can look for certain alleles in a person’s DNA to show if they have an increased risk of particular diseases.

Why might people with different ethnic backgrounds have different genetic risks for some diseases?

Groups with shared ancestry can have higher frequencies of certain alleles, so some diseases linked to those alleles may be more common in those groups.