Genetic Disorders are the 4th highest cause of death in UAE. In a research by IGENOMIX, a pioneer in advanced reproductive genetics, 17% of the couples in case of consanguineous marriages have been found with a high risk of transmitting genetic disorders to their child. Genetic Disorders are a growing concern, according to WHO, about 10 infants in every 1000 live births, suffer from some or the other Genetic Disorders. UAE ranks 193 in the list of countries with frequent birth defects because of Genetic Disorders. Most of these disorders are fatal and can cause death or disability for a lifetime. What is worse, is that many remain unawareto these disorders till the time they have an affected child.
Genetic disorders passes on from generation to generation. You could be a carrier of a genetic disorder and still lead a healthy life. Doctors say that they often come across people who are Beta Thalassemia patients and they only get to know while being treated for some other problem later in their lives. In such cases, if both the parents are carriers of the same mutation (disorder) the chances the child will be affected from that disorder are as high as 25%. The affected child may not lead a normal healthy life. There are more than 6000 disorders that can possibly affect the newborns and the risk of passing these Genetic Disorders is 2.5 times more in UAE, because of the Consanguineous Marriages.
Researchers claim that they have noticed a peculiar distribution pattern of genetic diseases in families where marriage between close relatives is a common scenario. These disorders cannot be cured but can surely be prevented, by running a simple blood test before planning a child. IGENOMIX’s Carrier Genetic Test (CGT), helps to determine if both the parents are carrier. If both turn out to be a carrier then the next step for them is PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis), which is carried out to select those embryos that are healthy. So, if you are planning for a IVF baby, PGD can help you.
Know more here: http://cgt.igenomix.ae/
