DNA Test in Ghana

It is common to hear people refer to a paternity test as a DNA test. But a DNA test is much more than that. Another name for DNA testing is genetic testing and the paternity test is only one side to it.

A DNA test is a type of test that identifies changes in genes, analyzes enzyme activities and determines genetic disorders of chromosomes or proteins in a body to tell you more about your ancestry, establish paternity, or determine your risk factor for genetic diseases.

During the test, a sample of blood, skin, hair, tissue or amniotic fluid is taken, has the DNA extracted and analyzed to be able to establish the genetic condition of the individual. DNA tests provide detailed information about the genes a person is made up of. They confirm if one has a disease or not and tells you if there is a high risk of developing certain conditions, and they can find out if you carry a specific mutated gene that you can pass to your child. When a DNA test is carried out, the technicians examine the:

• Genes: A gene test is carried out to analyze one’s DNA to find changes (mutations) in their genes that can cause or increase the risks of developing genetic disorders. Taking a gene test can check just one gene, a few genes or all ones Checking at all ones DNA is called genomic testing.
• Chromosomes: A chromosomal test studies the They look for changes in the order of genes that could be the cause of a genetic condition. One example of the changes looked for is an extra copy of a chromosome.
• Proteins: A protein test searches for the products of chemical reactions in our cells by analyzing the enzyme activit If there is a problem with a person’s protein, changes can occur in the DNA that may cause a genetic condition.

TYPES OF DNA TESTING

The various types of DNA tests include but are not limited to:

1. Prenatal Testing

A prenatal test does not test for all possible conditions but it tells the chances of your baby being born with certain conditions. Mutations in the genes or chromosomes in a developing baby can be detected through a prenatal DNA test. If your baby has an increased risk of having a genetic condition because of the family’s genetic history, your healthcare provider may recommend prenatal testing.

2. DNA Profiling

This is the type of DNA test determines the likelihood of someone being a biological parent or a grandparent to a child. The child’s DNA is tested and compared to that from the person they believe to be their biological mother, father, or grandparent. This test can be carried out even before the child is born by extracting it from amniotic fluid taken from the placenta using a needle and compared with DNA collected from the suspected father’s cheek swab.

3. Newborn Screening

When new babies are born, they are screened immediately so treatment can start right away if needed. Newborns are usually tested two days after they’re born for certain genetic, metabolic or hormone-related conditions.

4. Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic testing can confirm or rule out specific genetic diseases or chromosomal problems. But it doesn’t test for all genetic conditions. Diagnostic genetic testing is often used during pregnancy but it can be used at any time to confirm a diagnosis if you have symptoms of a certain diseases.

5. Carrier Testing

If a condition is autosome recessive, it means that someone can carry a gene for that condition but not have symptoms. Carrier testing can tell you if you carry a copy of a mutated gene for an autosomal recessive disease. This is generally done because one parent’s family has a history of a disease that is passed on in an autosomal recessive way, which means that it takes a copy of the gene from each parent. So if one parent knows they carry an autosomal recessive gene, the other should be tested so they know the risk of passing that disease to their kids.

HOW DNA TESTING IS DONE

DNA is found in every cell in our body, and so its extraction can be done in quite a number of ways. Blood, bones, hair, nails, saliva and other body fluids and tissues can be tested for DNA by a lab technician. The process involved in running a DNA test are as follows:

• A Lab tech takes your saliva, blood by swabbing the inner lining of the mouth or the cheek with a cotton swab. Because the use of saliva and blood are mor efficient in testing for DNA, the use of hair, and nails to test are usually the last resorts, or where there is no other option. In some cases, the person uses a DNA test kit to take the sample themselves and send it to a lab or the doctor
• The sample submitted by the technician or the person in question taken by the laboratory, extracted and analyzed. They look for changes in your genes, chromosomes or proteins.
• The results of the test should be ready in a less than a week if taken by the lab technician, and a few weeks if a home test kit was used.
• The technicians or the laboratory sends the test results to your healthcare provider.

RISKS IN RUNNING DNA TESTS

• There aren’t any major risks in running a DNA test. Aside the rather rare risk involved in taking a sample of amniotic fluid from around the developing baby which can cause the mother losing the pregnancy (miscarriage) if not carried out well.
• The risks involved are mostly emotional as receiving unexpected results, you may cause feelings of anger, fear, depression, anxiety or guilty. Also, genetic testing doesn’t provide information about all possible genetic conditions and there are chances of not being 100% accurate, although paternity DNA tests give 99.99% accuracy. If a DNA test is incorrect, it’s because the DNA sample is contaminated or simply because of human error. If for some reason you believe your DNA test isn’t correct, you would need to redo the test with completely new samples.
• DNA tests can also cause some strain financially as DNA Tests are quite expensive.

WHAT DOES THE DNA TEST RESULTS MEAN

A DNA test results may be any positive, negative or uncertain however interpreting it is not as straightforward as it seems. The doctor or healthcare provider will have to use the type of DNA test, your medical history and your family history to interpret the results. Then they’ll go over the specific results with you.

• If your DNA test has a positive result, the lab found a genetic mutation known to cause a disease. This may confirm a diagnosis, identify you as a carrier of the disease or determine that you have an increased risk of the disease.
• If your DNA test has a negative result, the lab didn’t find a genetic mutation in your DNA known to cause the disease. This may rule out a diagnosis, identify that you’re not a carrier of the disease or determine you don’t have an increased risk of the disease.
• If your DNA test has an uncertain result, the lab may have found a genetic mutation. But they didn’t find enough information about it to determine whether it’s normal or disease-causing. This is because everyone has normal, natural changes in their DNA that don’t affect their health.