What are the limitations of genetic testing concerning heart diseases?

The limitations of genetic testing concerning heart disease is that they are in their infancy and we do not have all of the genes figured out. This would include knowing exactly what each gene does, how an abnormality in that gene will spell out how a patient will be affected, and how a certain drug will affect that gene. There are many abnormalities that we already know genetic testing can tell us more about how the patient will respond to medical therapy. However, there may be other responses that the gene codes for that we have not understood both in terms of the gene and in terms of response to newer medical therapies. This is an early burgeoning field that will keep us captivated for years to come.

We do know that approximately half of the risk of developing heart disease is genetic and the other half is attributed to environmental concerns. Genetic testing only evaluates the predisposition, or susceptibility, that an individual has for the development of heart disease, but it is not diagnostic. In other words, if somebody has a genetic predisposition or susceptibility that will prompt a physician to be more vigilant in terms of early screening procedures such as cholesterol testing, blood pressure testing or imaging for example using coronary calcium scanning. In some other instances genetic testing may help to identify individuals who may have better or worse response to certain medications. However, in some cases the results of the genetic testing are not straightforward and they can never be taken into account just by themselves. Overall, combining genetic information with all other pieces of information can enhance clinical decision-making..