Question

Understanding genetic variation in human disease can make it more efficient to treat patients for which of the following reasons?

1. A pt may have a version of a gene that makes him more sensitive to commonly prescribed medicines
2. A pt's ancestry may put her more at risk for certain genetic disorders
3. Some variants of a gene may put individuals at great risk for a disease; other variants only increase the individuals risk slightly

Answer 1

Understanding genetic variation is crucial for personalized medicine because it allows treatments to be tailored to individuals' sensitivities, ancestry-related risks, and different levels of genetic risk factors for diseases.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding genetic variation in human disease can make treatment more efficient for several reasons:

1. Individuals may possess gene variants that result in heightened sensitivity to medicines, necessitating personalized medicine approaches.
2. Some individuals may have a family history that makes them more susceptible to specific genetic disorders based on their ancestry.
3. Diverse gene variants can confer varying levels of disease risk, from significant to slight, which impacts the strategy for disease prevention and management.

Through the study of genetic makeup and the identification of disease-associated variants, pharmacogenomics can be used to optimize drug therapy for each individual, reducing the risk of adverse drug reactions and improving efficacy.

This personalized approach recognizes that common diseases are often multifactorial and influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors.