Many human diseases have a genetic component to them. There are over 6,000 genetic disorders, many of which are fatal or severely debilitating. A genetic disease is caused by a mutation in DNA and can be divided into 4 major groups: Single-gene mutation; Multiple genes mutations; Chromosomal changes and mitochondrial mutations. Unfortunately many pest control treatments can also cause genetic diseases.
The completion of Human Genome Project in 2003 has helped to identify genes associated with many genetic diseases. As a result, scientists were able to develop genetic testing which could confirm a diagnosis or a carrier state of the disease or predict future illness or even a response to therapy. There are currently over 2000 genetic tests available. In this infographic, we gathered information about the 10 most common genetic diseases.