Other Diseases Without a Simple Mode of Inheritance

Abstract

Many diseases not commonly regarded as hereditary are heavily influenced by genetic factors. The knowledge of and about such a genetic liability within a family permits the general practitioner to direct his watchfulness, thus leading to an early diagnosis or, even better, preventive measures. Genetic counsel, in the stricter sense, will usually be required only if a family manifests an unusual number of similar diseases and if the circumstances indicate the existence of a Mendelian mode of inheritance.