Genetic Susceptibility

Carol Emslie, MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, UK
Kate Hunt, MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, UK

Published online: September 2006

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005639

Genetic susceptibility is the presence of inherited genetic factors in an individual that confer increased risk for a particular disease, but do not, by themselves, cause the disease. Therefore, genetic susceptibility is only one component in the etiology of common diseases such as coronary heart disease. The risk of passing on common diseases to offspring is difficult to predict because of complex interactions between different genes, and between behavioral, environmental and genetic factors.

Keywords: lay beliefs; family history; predictive genetic testing

 References
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    Richards MPM (1993) The new genetics: some issues for social scientists. Sociology of Health and Illness 15(5): 567–586.

Related Sub-Topics:

Bioethics | Molecular Genetics of Common and Complex Disease | Health Care
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Article Title: Genetic Susceptibility
 
How to Cite close
Emslie, Carol, and Hunt, Kate(Sep 2006) Genetic Susceptibility. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005639]