Genetic testing and common disorders in a public health framework: how to assess relevance and possibilities
During the years prior to the turn of the century, scientific and medical attention for genetic disorders was mainly focused on understanding rare single-gene disorders, such as Huntington's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and cystic fibrosis (CF), as well as chromosomal abnormalities. The medical specialty of clinical genetics was established in the 1980s and 1990s in many European countries to diagnose these kinds of rare disorders and to counsel patients and families.