When 23andMe gives results that no one knows how to manage | Dr Jen Gunter

Jen Gunter MD:

But now you have the result and you tested positive. Now you have the result that if you act upon it might cause more harm than good. You just don’t know. What do you do?

Testing of any sort, genetic or otherwise, in medicine is fraught with dangers. Medical students and residents are constantly taught to only order a test when they know what to do with the result--have a plan for if it is positive or negative. Direct-to-consumer genetic testing has always lacked a plan for what do with the result for many of the included tests. This has always been known; it's good to see the FDA's action putting a spotlight on this issue once again.