Barriers to completion of expanded carrier screening in an inner city population.

PURPOSE: The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics emphasizes a "consistent and equitable approach for offering carrier screening." At our academic center, publicly insured prenatal patients underwent universal expanded carrier screening (ECS) to promote equitable care. The aim of the study was to evaluate rates, time, and barriers to complete ECS. This was defined as post-test counseling and partner testing after a patient was found heterozygous for a pathogenic variant. METHODS: In this descriptive retrospective cohort study from 2018 to 2021, patients were offered ECS, consisting of 283 recessive and X-linked genes. Heterozygotes were contacted by genetic counselors (≤5 attempts) for education and partner testing. Rates of counseling, partner testing, diagnostic procedures, follow-up times, and barriers to completion were assessed. RESULTS: During this time, 643 women underwent ECS. Of these 643 women, 462 were heterozygotes and 326 of 462 had undergone counseling. Two hundred twenty-two of 462 partners obtained testing, with a median of 32 days from patient to partner result. Approximately 21 couples were heterozygous for the same pathogenic variant. One patient pursued diagnostic testing. CONCLUSION: ECS offers useful information; however, this study highlights significant barriers to completion. There was suboptimal patient follow-up and low partner screening, perhaps from insufficient time to educate and counsel. Future directions include implementing quality measures to ensure optimal completion.

Opening Pandora's box: abnormal genetic carrier screening and need for lifetime follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: Expanded carrier screening (ECS) is rising in popularity because of its application in a diverse population, its decreasing cost, and efficiency.1 However, it has traditionally been used to assess fetal risk. The next generation sequencing ECS panel offered at our academic medical center consists of 283 genes associated with hereditary disorders. Of those, 20 (7.1%) are autosomal recessive conditions, notable for variable expression of the clinical phenotype in heterozygous carriers, which may increase maternal risk for malignancy, bleeding, cardiovascular, or rheumatologic disease. Another 21 (7.4%) are X-linked conditions. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of variants that have a potential for maternal phenotypic expression and whether identification of specific variants prompted patients to pursue further care in our health system, namely comprehensive genetic counseling and further healthcare consults when recommended. STUDY DESIGN: An institutional review board-approved descriptive retrospective cohort study was performed in a New York City academic medical center at which reproductive aged women were offered universal ECS from 2018 to 2021 by their provider, inclusive of obstetrician-gynecologists, maternal-fetal medicine physicians, and genetic counselors. Pretest counseling was performed by the ordering provider. Patients found to carry mutations with the potential for maternal phenotypic expression were contacted by genetic counselors regarding their clinical risks. In addition, patients who were carriers for factor XI deficiency, Bernard Soulier syndrome, ataxia telangectesia, fumarase deficiency, Nijmegen breakage syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and familial hypercholesterolemia were advised to seek specialized healthcare pertaining to their clinical risk. The genetic counseling summary was placed in the electronic medical records (EMRs) so that the primary provider could view the findings. Through our EMRs, we evaluated the rates of healthcare uptake among these patients for at least 1 year after delivery. RESULTS: In total, 168 of 1184 (14.2%) patients were identified as carriers of mutations with a potential for maternal phenotypic expression. Of these, 156 (93%) were pregnant and 12 (7%) were preconception. Of those patients, 143 (85%) were carriers of autosomal recessive traits (Figure 1), whereas 22 of 168 (13%) patients were carriers of X-linked conditions (Figure 2) and 3 of 168 (2%) patients carried both autosomal recessive traits and X-linked conditions. Of these carriers, 132 of 168 (78.6%) patients underwent genetic counseling. The most common heterozygous mutations were sickle cell trait (25.6%), thalassemia (alpha and/or beta) trait (14.2%), factor XI deficiency (4.7%), dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (4.2%), and Alport syndrome (4.1%). Two patients were diagnosed as homozygous carriers of nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia. During the study period, 23 of 168 (13.6%) patients were heterozygous for specific pathogenic variants (inclusive of factor XI, Bernard Soulier syndrome, ataxia telangectesia, fumarase deficiency, Nijmegen breakage syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and familial hypercholesterolemia) and were advised to seek specialized healthcare pertaining to these findings. Of these, 20 (87.0%) received genetic counseling with standardized recommendations, however, only 4 of 23 (17%) patients pursued the recommended referrals during our study period. CONCLUSION: This study described the follow-up rates among patients identified as carriers of conditions with the potential for maternal phenotypic expression using ECS. We observed that 14.2% of patients who underwent ECS were identified as carriers of genetic mutations with the potential for maternal phenotypic expression, and of the 23 who were recommended specific care because a pathogenic variant was identified, only 17.4% of patients followed the recommendations. We believe that as ECS implementation becomes widespread, more maternal carriers with clinical risk to themselves will be identified. Therefore, as we open this Pandora's box, the burden of counseling and follow-up must be addressed.

Teenagers and Precision Psychiatry: A Window of Opportunity.

OBJECTIVE: Precision medicine raises hope for translating genetic-based knowledge about psychiatric risks into mental health benefits by motivating health-related, risk-reducing behaviors. Teenagers (ages 14-17) are an important age-group to engage in preventive efforts but, their views about psychiatric genetics are understudied. METHOD: An online survey with a nationally representative sample of teenagers (n = 417) was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 handouts, 1 emphasizing the genetic underpinnings of psychiatric conditions; the other agency-oriented and focusing on gene-environment interactions. Survey questions queried their views about behavioral changes in response to psychiatric genetic risk information and expressed willingness to undertake them. Participants' decision-making characteristics (i.e., self-efficacy, empowerment, intolerance of uncertainty, and sensation-seeking) were assessed at baseline. RESULTS: Teenagers strongly valued the information provided and its potential usefulness for their mental health. Information about psychiatric genetics alone impacted views about the causes of mental illness. Contrary to our hypothesis, the type of handout did not impact participants' expressed willingness to make behavioral changes to reduce their risk of developing a psychiatric condition, but their sense of empowerment played a key role in their responses. CONCLUSION: Educating teenagers about gene-environment interactions may help facilitate the translational efforts of precision psychiatry. Research with teenagers across racial/ethnic groups, especially those with family histories, is needed to better understand the factors that impact teenagers' empowerment in psychiatric genomic settings and to identify measures, including the best enablers of empowerment (e.g., educators, parents), which would allow them to reap the benefits of precision psychiatry.