Bridging the Gap between Scientific Advancement and Real-World Application: Pediatric Genetic Counseling for Common Syndromes and Single-Gene Disorders.

Screening and diagnostic testing for single-gene disorders and common syndromes in the pediatric setting frequently generate data that are challenging to interpret, and the ability to diagnose genetic conditions has outpaced the development of successful treatments or cures. Genetic testing is now integrated purposefully into a variety of primary and specialty care clinics, creating an increased requirement for genetic literacy among providers and patients, as well as a growing need to incorporate genetic counseling services into mainstream clinical practice. The practice of pediatric genetic counseling encompasses a unique combination of skills and training designed to address the evolving psychological, social, educational, medical, and reproductive concerns of patients and their families, which complements the multidisciplinary services of physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals caring for patients with pediatric-onset genetic conditions. The potential range of genetic counseling needs in the pediatric setting transcends the diagnostic period. The sustained nature of pediatric care presents opportunities for development of trusting and longstanding professional relationships that permit the evolving genetic counseling needs of patients and families to be met. A discussion of cystic fibrosis, a common autosomal recessive single-gene disorder with an increasingly broad clinical spectrum and genotype-phenotype variability, serves as a useful case study to illustrate the current and emerging genetic counseling practices, goals, and challenges impacting patients and their families.

Secondary findings from next generation sequencing: Psychological and ethical issues. Family and patient perspectives.

Access to active search for actionable secondary findings (SF) in diagnostic practice is a major psychological and ethical issue for genomic medicine. In this study, we analyzed the preferences of patients and their families regarding SF and identified the reporting procedures necessary for informed consent. We interviewed parents of patients with undiagnosed rare diseases potentially eligible for exome sequencing and patients affected by the diseases listed in the ACMG recommendations. Four focus groups (FG) were formed: parents of patients with undiagnosed rare diseases (FG1, n = 5); patients with hereditary cancers (FG2, n = 10); patients with hereditary cardiac conditions (FG3, n = 3); and patients with metabolic diseases (FG4, n = 3). Psychologists presented three broad topics for discussion: 1. Favorable or not to SF access, 2. Reporting procedures, 3. Equity of access. Discussions were recorded and analyzed using simplified Grounded Theory. Overall, 8 participants declared being favorable to SF because of the medical benefit (mainly FG1); 11 were unfavorable because of the psychological consequences (mainly FG2, FG3, FG4); 2 were ambivalent. The possibility of looking for SF in minors was debated. The 4 key information-based issues for participants ranked as follows: explanation of SF issues, autonomy of choice, importance of a reflection period, and quality of interactions between patients and professionals. Examining equity of access to SF led to philosophical discussions on quality of life. In conclusion, individual experience and life context (circumstances) were decisive in participants' expectations and fears regarding access to SF. Additional longitudinal studies based on actual SF disclosure announcements are needed to establish future guidelines.

The relative importance of genetic parenthood.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How much do patients with severe infertility and their gynaecologists value genetic parenthood relative to other key treatment characteristics? DESIGN: A discrete choice experiment included the following treatment characteristics: genetic parenthood, pregnancy rate, curing infertility, maternal health, child health and costs. The questionnaire was disseminated between 2015 and 2016 among Dutch and Belgian patients with severe infertility and their gynaecologists. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 173 patients and 111 gynaecologists. When choosing between treatments that varied in safety, effectiveness and costs, the treatment's ability to lead to genetic parenthood did not affect the treatment preference of patients with severe infertility (n = 173). Genetic parenthood affected the treatment preference of gynaecologists (n = 111) less than all other treatment characteristics. Patients indicated that they would switch to a treatment that did not enable genetic parenthood in return for a child health risk reduction of 3.6%, a cost reduction of €3500, an ovarian hyperstimulation risk reduction of 4.6%, a maternal cancer risk reduction of 2.7% or a pregnancy rate increase of 18%. Gynaecologists made similar trade-offs. CONCLUSIONS: While awaiting replication of this study in larger populations, these findings challenge the presumed dominant importance of genetic parenthood. This raises questions about whether donor gametes could be presented as a worthy alternative earlier in treatment trajectories and whether investments in novel treatments enabling genetic parenthood, like in-vitro gametogenesis, are proportional to their future clinical effect.

Expert and lay perspectives on burden, risk, tolerability, and acceptability of clinical interventions for genetic disorders.

PURPOSE: The Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Actionability Working Group (AWG) developed a semiquantitative scoring metric to rate clinical actionability of genetic disorders and associated genes in four domains: (1) severity of the outcome, (2) likelihood of the outcome, (3) effectiveness of the intervention to prevent/minimize the outcome, and (4) nature of the intervention with respect to burden, risk, tolerability, and acceptability to the patient. This study aimed to assess whether nature of the intervention scores assigned by AWG experts reflected lay perceptions of intervention burden, risk, tolerability, and acceptability given the subjectivity of this domain. METHODS: In July 2017, a general population sample of 1344 adults completed the study. Each participant was asked to read 1 of 24 plain language medical intervention synopses and answer questions related to its burden, risk, tolerability, and acceptability. We conducted three multilevel mixed model analyses predicting the perceived burden, perceived risk, and perceived overall nature of the intervention. RESULTS: As AWG nature of the intervention scores increased, lay perceptions of intervention burden and risk decreased, and perceptions of tolerability and acceptability increased. CONCLUSION: The findings show alignment between the ClinGen actionability scoring metric and lay perceptions of the nature of the intervention.

Trajetórias Terapêuticas Familiares: doenças raras hereditárias como sofrimento de longa duração / Family Therapeutic Trajectories: rare hereditary diseases involving long-term suffering

Resumo Este artigo analisa elementos comuns na trajetória de pessoas afetadas por doenças raras hereditárias no Brasil, tendo por cerne a busca por diagnóstico e tratamento, e a reprodutibilidade da família. Classificam-se como "raras" as doenças que afetam 65 pessoas a cada 100 mil. São condições geralmente crônicas e degenerativas, muitas delas sem cura ou tratamento efetivo. Cerca de 80% das doenças raras têm origem genética e são hereditárias. Este dado traz implicações importantes no que diz respeito às políticas de atenção à saúde da família, à reprodução e ao cuidado para condições clínicas que, em alguns casos, atravessam várias gerações. Para análise dos dados, articulam-se dois eixos teóricos: os estudos de família e parentesco e as análises sobre os sofrimentos de longa duração. A pesquisa desenvolveu-se junto a pessoas afetadas por doenças raras hereditárias e seus familiares, nos cenários políticos nos quais esses atores transitam, como associações de pacientes, congressos científicos e audiências públicas. Evidencia-se a necessidade de construção de uma pauta contínua sobre as doenças raras no Brasil, capaz de promover de fato o acesso universal e integral das pessoas afetadas ao sistema público de saúde, e buscar soluções para minorar sofrimentos que ameaçam a própria continuidade da família.

Abstract This article analyzes common elements in the trajectory of people affected by rare hereditary diseases in Brazil, focusing on the search for diagnosis and treatment, and the reproducibility in the family. Rare diseases affect 65 people in every 100 thousand. These are usually chronic and degenerative conditions, many incurable or without effective treatment. About 80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin and can be inherited. This fact has important implications for family health care policies, reproduction, and care for clinical conditions that, in some cases, spanned generations. To analyze the data, two theoretical axes are articulated: family and kinship studies, and analyzes of long-term suffering. The research investigated people affected by rare hereditary diseases and their families, in the political scenarios in which these actors circulate, such as patient associations, scientific congresses and public hearings. There is evidence of the need to build a continuous agenda on rare diseases in Brazil capable of effectively promoting universal and integral access of the affected persons to the public health system, and seeking for solutions to alleviate suffering that threatens the very continuity of the family.

Health literacy and the perception of risk in a breast cancer family history clinic.

BACKGROUND: Informed consent is an essential component of medical practice, and especially so in procedural based specialties which entail varying degrees of risk. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, and as such is the focus of extensive research and significant media attention. Despite this, considerable misperception exists regarding the risk of developing breast cancer. AIMS: This study aims to examine the accuracy of risk perception of women attending a breast cancer family history clinic, and to explore the relationship between risk perception accuracy and health literacy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of women attending a breast cancer family history clinic (n = 86) was carried out, consisting of a patient survey and a validated health literacy assessment. Patients' perception of personal and population breast cancer risk was compared to actual risk as calculated by a validated risk assessment tool. RESULTS: Significant discordance between real and perceived risks was observed. The majority (83.7%) of women overestimated their personal lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, as well as that of other women of the same age (89.5%). Health literacy was considered potentially inadequate in 37.2% of patients; there was a correlation between low health literacy and increased risk perception inaccuracy across both personal ten-year (rs = 0.224, p = 0.039) and general ten-year population estimations. (rs = 0.267, p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Inaccuracy in risk perception is highly prevalent in women attending a breast cancer family history clinic. Health literacy inadequacy is significantly associated with this inaccuracy.

Discredited legacy: Stigma and familial amyloid polyneuropathy in Northwestern Portugal.

RATIONALE: Genetic inherited conditions may result in feelings of stigmatisation, mainly because of visible physical appearance and its transmissibility to offspring. OBJECTIVE: This article reports accounts of stigmatisation from Portuguese patients affected by the inherited neurodegenerative disease, familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), living in the largest cluster of patients worldwide. METHOD: We draw on semi-structured interviews conducted with individuals at-risk or affected by FAP, recruited through the national patients' association, about their experiences of stigmatisation related to the illness. RESULTS: Findings highlight the influence of a discrediting social context in the enactment of stigma. FAP was described as a source of devaluation and social distance and was permeated by beliefs of contagion in the community, especially in the past. The multigenerational nature of the illness within small communities was felt as a source of rejection for courtship and of devalued reproductive worth. Decisions to have (potentially affected) children seemed to be a target of implicit negative judgment. Dealing with stigma entailed restraint in talking about FAP especially outside the family, resistance to being treated as different, and social withdrawal. Some participants referred to recent substantial improvements in their social acceptance and a reduction in the intensity of the stigmatisation to which they are subject. CONCLUSION: The pattern of stigma may have changed considerably within the past few decades, as medical information about the disease became more widespread, as new medications have been introduced and as clinical trials of other potential treatments have been established. Our findings report the social consequences of stigma towards this disease group and may help to understand how stigma is experienced in other heritable diseases.

Family health history reporting is sensitive to small changes in wording.

PURPOSE: Family health history is often collected through single-item queries that ask patients whether their family members are affected by certain conditions. The specific wording of these queries may influence what individuals report. METHODS: Parents of Boston Children's Hospital patients were invited to participate in a Web-based survey about the return of individual genomic research results regarding their children. Participants reported whether 11 types of medical conditions affected them or their family. Randomization determined whether participants were specifically instructed to consider their extended family. RESULTS: Family health history was reported by 2,901 participants. Those asked to consider their extended family were more likely to report a positive family history for 8 of 11 medical conditions. The largest differences were observed for cancer (65.1 vs. 45.7%; P < 0.001), cardiovascular conditions (72.5 vs. 56.0%; P < 0.001), and endocrine/hormonal conditions (50.9 vs. 36.7%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Small alterations to the way family health history queries are worded can substantially change patient responses. Clinicians and researchers need to be sensitive about patients' tendencies to omit extended family from health history reporting unless specifically asked to consider them.Genet Med 18 12, 1308-1311.

Neurological symptoms in a patient with isolated adrenocorticotropin deficiency: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency is a pituitary disorder characterized by reduction only in the secretion of ACTH. Although the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated, numbers of cases with this entity have been increasing. We experienced a case presenting with gait disturbance necessitating differential diagnosis from idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old female with a complaint of difficulty walking and suspected to have iNPH at a prior hospital was referred to our department. For the prior three years, she had suffered from a progressive gait disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed global ventricular dilatation. The typical features of the gait in iNPH cases were all identifiable. Neuropsychological dementia scale tests showed deterioration. However, the major feature of a disproportionately enlarged subarachnoid-space on MRI was not obvious. The patient developed progressively worsening fatigue during hospitalization. Her symptoms resembled those of hypothalamic-pituitary tumor patients. Serum ACTH and cortisol levels were low. While corticotrophin releasing hormone stress tests showed no response, other stress tests using thyrotropin releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, and growth hormone releasing hormone yielded normal responses, indicating a diagnosis of isolated ACTH deficiency. We initiated corticosteroid therapy, and her gait disturbance improved promptly. CONCLUSION: Isolated ACTH deficiency may have major significance to the differential diagnosis of iNPH. Early consideration of this entity is anticipated to facilitate making an early diagnosis.

Impact of presymptomatic genetic testing on young adults: a systematic review.

Presymptomatic and predictive genetic testing should involve a considered choice, which is particularly true when testing is undertaken in early adulthood. Young adults are at a key life stage as they may be developing a career, forming partnerships and potentially becoming parents: presymptomatic testing may affect many facets of their future lives. The aim of this integrative systematic review was to assess factors that influence young adults' or adolescents' choices to have a presymptomatic genetic test and the emotional impact of those choices. Peer-reviewed papers published between January 1993 and December 2014 were searched using eight databases. Of 3373 studies identified, 29 were reviewed in full text: 11 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis was used to identify five major themes: period before testing, experience of genetic counselling, parental involvement in decision-making, impact of test result communication, and living with genetic risk. Many participants grew up with little or no information concerning their genetic risk. The experience of genetic counselling was either reported as an opportunity for discussing problems or associated with feelings of disempowerment. Emotional outcomes of disclosure did not directly correlate with test results: some mutation carriers were relieved to know their status, however, the knowledge they may have passed on the mutation to their children was a common concern. Parents appeared to have exerted pressure on their children during the decision-making process about testing and risk reduction surgery. Health professionals should take into account all these issues to effectively assist young adults in making decisions about presymptomatic genetic testing.

Genetics: update on prenatal screening and diagnosis.

There have been tremendous advances in the ability to screen for the "odds" of having a genetic disorder (both mendelian and chromosomal). With microarray analyses on fetal tissue now showing a minimum risk for any pregnancy being at least 1 in 150 and ultimately greater than 1%, it is thought that all patients, regardless of age, should be offered chorionic villus sampling/amniocentesis and microarray analysis. As sequencing techniques replace other laboratory methods, the only question will be whether these tests are performed on villi, amniotic fluid cells, or maternal blood.

[Neurological appraisal of children and adolescents with psychotic symptoms]. / Valoracion neurologica de niños y adolescentes con sintomas psicoticos.

INTRODUCTION: Psychotic manifestations in childhood are not infrequent, yet the existing literature dealing with the neurological appraisal of children and adolescents with a clinical picture of psychosis is very scant. AIM: To conduct a non-systematic review of the literature that provides an answer to these three questions: When must a neurological appraisal be performed in a child with psychotic traits? What medical conditions can include signs and symptoms of psychosis in their development? And, what diagnostic procedure should be followed? DEVELOPMENT: The diseases that can present psychotic symptoms at onset or during their course are reviewed and grouped by pathologies: inborn errors of metabolism, genetic diseases, autoimmune and infectious diseases, malformations of the central nervous system, epilepsy, vascular pathology, rheumatologic processes, brain tumours, and psychoactive substances and drugs. A diagnostic regimen is proposed in which both the information obtained from the anamnesis and examination and the findings from each of the diagnostic tests are evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: A huge number of processes can display psychotic symptoms during their course and the key information offered by the anamnesis and examination must be taken into account. This review can help neuropaediatricians and other specialists perform a more systematised appraisal of children and adolescents with psychotic signs and symptoms.

TITLE: Valoracion neurologica de niños y adolescentes con sintomas psicoticos.Introduccion. Las manifestaciones psicoticas en la infancia no son infrecuentes; sin embargo, la bibliografia existente acerca de la valoracion neurologica de niños y adolescentes con cuadros psicoticos es muy escasa. Objetivo. Realizar una revision bibliografica no sistematica que permita responder a estas tres cuestiones: cuando debe llevarse a cabo una valoracion neurologica en un niño con rasgos psicoticos?, cuales son las condiciones medicas que pueden incluir un cuadro psicotico en su evolucion? y cual debe ser el procedimiento diagnostico? Desarrollo. Se revisan las enfermedades que pueden presentar sintomatologia psicotica al inicio o durante la evolucion, y se agrupan por patologias: errores congenitos del metabolismo, enfermedades geneticas, enfermedades autoinmunes e infecciosas, malformaciones del sistema nervioso central, epilepsia, patologia vascular, procesos reumatologicos, tumores cerebrales, y farmacos y sustancias psicoactivas. Se propone una pauta diagnostica en la que se valora la informacion obtenida a partir de la anamnesis y la exploracion y la aportacion de cada prueba diagnostica. Conclusiones. El numero de procesos que pueden manifestar sintomatologia psicotica a lo largo de su evolucion es muy elevado, y hay que considerar las claves que ofrecen la anamnesis y la exploracion. Esta revision puede ayudar a neuropediatras y otros especialistas a realizar una valoracion mas sistematizada de niños y adolescentes con cuadros psicoticos.

Handing the pen to the patient: reflective writing for children and families affected by genetic conditions.

Genetic diagnoses impact the Quality of Life (QoL) of patients and their families. While some patients and families report a positive impact on QoL, others are affected negatively by a genetic diagnosis. No matter the impact, it is clear that social support is needed for this population. Genetic healthcare providers should be aware of the need for psychosocial support and be equipped to provide or direct patients and families to the appropriate resources. Reflective writing offers a unique opportunity for families and health care providers to engage in self-reflection and expression, activities which have the potential to enhance QoL in a positive manner. The therapeutic potential of writing has been studied in many populations, from caregivers of elderly individuals with dementia, to cancer survivors, to survivors of traumatic experiences. Some of these interventions have shown promise for improving participants' QoL. However, reflective writing has never been studied in patients and families affected by genetic conditions. We propose that reflective writing therapy is a feasible, reproducible, and enjoyable approach to providing psychosocial support for our patients. Get it Write is a reflective writing workshop pilot project for those who have a personal or family history of a genetic diagnosis. Our hypothesis is that reflective writing will help engender acceptance and alleviate feelings of isolation. Get it Write does not focus on the stressful factors in the participants' lives, rather it serves to facilitate interactions with peers facing the same struggles, and with medical students in a non-medical context.

Comparison of the background, needs, and expectations for genetic counseling of adults with experience with Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and neurofibromatosis.

We describe an analysis of the responses of 605 adults with experience with Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, or neurofibromatosis (NF) to the BNE Scale, a scale specifically designed to assess the background, needs, and expectations (BNE) of genetic counseling patients. Significant group differences were found. Specifically, the respondents in the Down syndrome group reported more favorable beliefs about the condition and the availability of social support than the respondents in the other groups. Respondents in the NF group reported more unsureness about their condition and a greater need for genetic information than members of the other groups. Notably, having positive feelings about the condition was negatively correlated with support group interest for respondents of the Marfan syndrome group (r = -0.159, P < 0.01). Having an affected child was associated with interest in health provider input (t = -3.4; P = 0.001) and the desire to talk about psychosocial issues (t = -2.9; P = 0.004). However, previous experience with genetic counseling was not found to affect BNE. These results support the usefulness of the BNE Scale to compare the BNE of patient groups, as well as provide important insight into the BNE of individuals seeking counseling about Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and NF.

Development of a scale to assess the background, needs, and expectations of genetic counseling clients.

Genetic professionals seek to tailor their counseling to meet the background, needs, and expectations (BNE) of their clients. We present the development of a new instrument, the BNE Scale, designed to assess BNE in genetic counseling clients. The initial items for the scale were created based on a review of the literature and clinical experience. The draft scale was piloted tested with 10 subjects, using cognitive interviewing techniques. Based on those results, a revised 82-item-scale was created and posted online. It was completed by 608 adult subjects who have experience with Down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, or neurofibromatosis. Responses were analyzed in aggregate based on clinically relevant item groupings. Exploratory factor analysis was used to refine the item groupings, and these groups were evaluated for reliability and cross-correlations. As a result, 61 items across 16 subscales were retained for the final BNE Scale. Further, the subscales were segregated thematically into four groups: (1) Beliefs which includes the Consequences, Unsureness, Feelings, and Treatment subscales, (2) Social Support which includes the Spousal (or Partner) Support, Family Support, Friend Support, Healthcare Provider Support, Faith/God Support, and Support Group Interest subscales, (3) Needs which includes the Need for Information, Need for Context, and Need for Provider Input subscales, and (4) Expectations which includes the Education, Counseling, and Desired Feelings subscales. These data provide initial support for the BNE Scale as a psychometrically acceptable means to assess the clients' background, needs and expectations of genetic counseling.

Trade-off between benefit and harm is crucial in health screening recommendations. Part II: evidence summaries.

Evidence on the effectiveness of health screening strategies may be direct (i.e., studies on screening vs. no screening) or indirect (i.e., studies that separately evaluate the screening test[s], the confirmatory test, or the treatment). Critical trade-offs in the balance between harm and benefit for many screening strategies mandate that advocates of health screening adhere to the ethical precepts of nonmaleficence, autonomy, confidentiality, and equity. In our first article, we pointed out five prerequisites to justifying a health screening program: (1) the burden of illness should be high, (2) the screening and confirmatory tests should be accurate, (3) early treatment (or prevention) must be more effective than late treatment, (4) the tests and the treatment(s) must be safe, and (5) the cost of the screening strategy must be commensurate with the potential benefit. As can be gleaned from these criteria, recommendations on screening must be tailored to specific populations. Recommendations in one country, no matter how authoritative, cannot be generalized to apply to all other countries. Although accuracy, effectiveness, and safety data may be global (criteria 2-4), burden of illness and efficiency (criteria 1 and 5) will always vary from country to country. Rather than review various national guidelines, in this last article of our two-part series, we present evidence summaries to illustrate health screening. Our examples were selected to address special issues related to four situations-screening for cancer, risk factors for disease, genetic disorders, and infectious diseases.

Misunderstandings concerning genetics among patients confronting genetic disease.

Critical questions arise about misunderstandings of genetics. We interviewed for 2 h each, 64 individuals who had or were at risk for Huntington's disease (HD), breast cancer or Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. These individuals revealed various misunderstandings that can affect coping, and testing, treatment and reproductive decisions. A therapeutic misconception about testing appeared: that testing would be helpful in and of itself. Many believed they could control genetic disorders (even HD), yet these beliefs were often incorrect, and could impede coping, testing, and treatment. Misunderstandings about statistics and genetics often fueled each other, and reflected denial, and desires for hope and control. Emotional needs can thus outweigh understandings of genetics and statistics, and providers' input. Individuals often maintained non-scientific beliefs, though embarrassed by these. These data have implications for care, and public and professional education. Misunderstandings' persistence, despite realization of their inaccuracy, suggests that providers need to address not just cognitive facts, but underlying emotional issues.

[Prenatal diagnostics and information to parents]. / Diagnósticos prenatales: información a los padres.

New screening and prenatal diagnostic techniques, require the Medicine professionals have a clear purpose for its realization, since the intention determined the act is determined in accordance with the values of the Medicine or becoming an event eugenics act by means of "therapeutic abortion". The Family Physician information about these techniques to pregnant women must be based on the status of science, facilitating the risk of loss fetal and false data positive informing of therapeutic possibilities and facilitating respect for the pregnant woman's decision of non-fulfillment of the screening. The information update according to the state of science, should be provided in writing and the informed consent of the patient should be obtained by all professionals involved in testing, with respect shows for the autonomy of the patient.