The search for disease susceptibility genes. Medical and ethical problems of predictive medicine

Thanks to major progress in genetics, a great number of disease susceptibility genes have been characterized. However, the concept of genetic defect is challenged by the elusive boundary between genetic diseases and allelic polymorphism which represents a major adaptative response to the diversity of environmental pressures. The detection of disease susceptibility alleles should be performed only if appropriate prevention can be initiated. Otherwise predictive medicine together with insufficient protection of the person's rights against the use of genetic markers may prove to be socially and psychologically detrimental. Ethical and social issues of predictive medicine definitely deserve to be fully debated.