How to Interpret Your Genetic Predisposition DNA Test Results

The information for each condition is presented in four sections. Let us take the example of Aneurysm to illustrate how the report should be read.

How do I make sense of my results for aneurysm?

Your risks are presented to you in the form of estimated lifetime risk. It is important to compare this value to the average lifetime risk. Your risk level can be high, medium or low. The box to the right indicates that your estimated lifetime risk, based on the markers we tested, is 26.8% which compares to 17%, the average lifetime risk for a male.

Is there another way to look at my results?

Yes; in a sample population, we estimate that 35.9% will have a higher chance than you to develop aneurysm and that 63.1% have a lower risk than you. The results of this graph are based on the human hapmap project and epidemiological studies of disease incidence.

Does this mean I will definitely develop aneurysm?

The environment always plays a role. Your risks may be higher than the general population, but it does not mean that you will definitely develop the condition because both your genes as well as your environment play a part. In fact, for aneurysm, the environment is responsible for 30% of the risks, while your genes account for 70% of the risks.

How does your test determine my risks?

We look at segments of your DNA where one-allele difference modifies your odds of developing aneurysm. At the location(s) displayed above, your genotype indicates the DNA that you inherited from both of your parents. Each letter corresponds to a different parent. Certain letters are associated with a higher risk. Your risk will reflect the number of risk allele copies that are present in your genotype for each marker.

What should I do next?

First, we recommend that you take this report to your doctor. Your doctor will be able to carry out an initial assessment of symptoms and determine if you have this condition or if it has not yet developed. We encourage you to contact us for any technical questions you may have or to instruct your doctor to contact us.

Why is the condition not reported for my ethnicity?

It requires quite a lot of data to be able to estimate a lifetime risk for a condition. First, the data about the incidence of the disease for both genders of the ethnic group must be available. Second, genetic twin studies to determine the contribution of the environment to the disease must also have been reported for the ethnic group. Finally, each SNP that is tested for must have been successfully reported for the same ethnic group.

This high requirement for research data has the consequence that the lifetime risk cannot be explicitly given for all ethnic groups because the required data may not yet be available. However, the SNP that we report here have generally been replicated in multiple different ethnic groups (e.g. European, Japanese, African) and are therefore believed to be independent of ethnicity.