Health and Genetics
My Family Doctor Was Unfairly Abused by Her Biased Patient.
Here is why genetics has nothing to do with racism.
Carla is Far from Being a Racist
Yash, a 50-year-old South Asian activist, yelled at Carla in her clinic in front of many patients in the waiting lounge, saying he would do anything to cancel her medical license because he perceived Carla as a racist doctor. Carla is the last person to be classified as racist, from my observations.
Even though Carla looks caucasian, she has mixed ancestors from Ireland, Germany, Spain, and Russia. For example, as a patient of Carla, I have an ethnic background.
Yet, I did not see the slightest discrimination when Carla dealt with me for three decades. It is important to note that doctors are also human beings, and they keep learning based on progress in science.
Australia, where I live, is a multicultural country. Several of my neighbors from different countries, including Asia and Africa, never experienced discrimination from Carla.
However, Yash accused Carla when she mentioned his ethnic background was a risk factor for his metabolic condition, specifically insulin resistance. Carla is the pseudonym to protect her identity, as agreed when I wanted to share this story for information purposes. Like me, Carla has no tolerance for racism.
I have a solid respect for medical doctors who spent years of study and afterward worked so hard helping people suffering from health conditions. They deal with problems all the time. No one goes to the doctor to share good news but seeks solutions for their problems.
So these caring and credible professionals keep listening to concerns all day long. Unfortunately, however, some patients take their care for granted selfishly, and they even dare to abuse them unfairly.
I don’t want to go to the dramatic aspect of the conversations and follow-up actions. In a nutshell, when Carla highlighted risk factors when assessing metabolic syndrome for Yash (pseudonym), he overreacted, blaming Carla as racist, and took action to escalate his perceived concerns to medical authorities. The situation wasted Carla’s precious time as the authorities had to investigate her practice due to the formal complaint.
Even though Carla is a general practitioner, she has a strong interest in genetics and continuously updates her knowledge by following the medical literature in this discipline. She also focuses on epigenetics and has a positive outlook on healthy lifestyle habits to impact our genes for better health and longevity.
During my routine checkups with Carla, I learned a lot about the health risks each ethnic group might have. She particularly shared her research into ancestry-based genetic diseases, which I found informative and fascinating. So, without going further into details, I’d like to share a few critical points for different ethnic groups for awareness purposes.
An Overview of Common Ancestry-Based Genetic Diseases
Through the literature review, I looked at the five main ethnic groups, including African, Asian, European, Mediterranean, and Hispanic. When I obtained my DNA tests several years ago, my ancestors covered three of these groups. It means that my gene pool is multi-racial. I had two concerns, including anemia and motor neuron diseases my parents inherited.
The most disease risks for people of African origin are Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Sickle Cell, Cystic Fibrosis, Alpha-Thalassemia, and Beta-Thalassemia. The likelihood for these is between 10 to 75. For example, 1 in 10 people showed Sickle Cell, and 1 in 75 people showed Beta-Thalassemia.
For people of Asian origins, four risk factors of African roots occur with a lower likelihood. So common diseases for Asians are Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic fibrosis, Alpha-Thalassemia, and Beta-Thalassemia, excluding Sickle Cell. The likelihood range is 20 to 94.
As one of my gene pools has European, I notably delved into the risk factors for this group. The most common ones for the ethnic group are Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Cystic Fibrosis. As my father died from ALS, I specifically investigated Spinal Muscular Atrophy which affects the motor neurons of the spinal cord and brain stem. Motor neurons supply electrical and chemical signals to muscle cells. I plan to share my literature review in a separate article.
My gene pool also includes the Mediterranean. Interestingly, this gene pool is very close to Africa from a disease risk factors perspective. So it consists of the four risks covering Sickle Cell, Cystic Fibrosis, Alpha-Thalassemia, and Beta-Thalassemia. The only difference is the Mediterranean one does not show Spinal Muscular Atrophy. So the likelihood range for these risks is between 20 and 40.
The fifth group is Hispanic. The common risk factors for this ethnic group are Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, and Beta-Thalassemia. The likelihood range for these risks is 40 and 68. You might find the summary of these risks documented by Boston Medical.
Conclusions
Genetics is a relatively new and complex discipline. Many studies are still inconclusive; however, they give us valuable clues about our health conditions. In addition, technological advances in genetics offer a prevention approach through screening. Nevertheless, DNA tests are still costly and might not be covered by insurance in some countries.
I especially highlighted the story of medical doctor Carla. She identified high risks in South Asian patients, particularly those from the Indian subcontinent, with a distinct cardiovascular risk profile with profound health consequences. These findings have been documented in the literature for over a decade. However, Yash, her patient, did not believe in the tendency for his coronary artery disease risks and reported Carla as racist.
For example, this paper indexed on PubMed points out that “South Asians tend to develop more severe coronary artery disease at a younger age, and may also suffer from earlier myocardial infarction and heart failure. The genesis of this risk is multi-factorial. One important culprit is the increased insulin resistance, possibly due to recently identified genetic polymorphisms.”
After a decade, the American College of Cardiology informed that “South Asians in the US include a heterogeneous group of individuals who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, and Nepal). When compared to other ethnic subgroups, South Asians have a disproportionately greater burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease which often occurs earlier in life and is more aggressive. In this setting, the recent scientific statement from the National Lipid Association provides further guidance on the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among South Asians.”
In this specific case, as Yash had insulin resistance and had symptoms of metabolic syndrome, Carla focussed on the known cardiovascular risk factors for South Asians. She informed him of risks as a duty of call. Ironically while Carla was trying to save Yash’s life, he attempted to ruin her reputation.
Like Carla, I dislike racism, as pointed out in this story. However, data related to our ancestors might be invaluable health information for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. In addition, by learning about genetic defects as early as possible, we might adjust our lifestyle and create epigenetic effects on our health and longevity.
Carla has become a catalyst for improving my health. Believing in the power of reciprocity, I provided a two-page testimonial report to investigators. The gist of my testimony was Carla not only treated my conditions timely but also informed me about my health risks considering multiple factors, including genetics.
This act of kindness delighted Carla and improved our bonds. She saw me as an angel who appeared in her difficult times. This small support intensified our friendship and allowed us to become family friends. As a bonus, her husband, a professor specializing in metabolic health and longevity research, volunteered to be my mentor, contributing to my studies on metabolic syndrome and obesity for years.
Takeaway
Understanding our genetic defects and risk factors for our ancestral profiles can improve the quality of health information for caring medical doctors to prepare necessary health plans with preventative measures.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I shared my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only for information. If you have disease symptoms, please consult your healthcare professionals.
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