Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Panel (AJGP)
Who Should Be Tested?
Genetic tests can be done for anyone who wants to see whether he or she may be carriers of certain diseases. The Ashkenazi Jewish genetic panel (AJGP) shows the chance of having a child with a disease that is more common among people of Eastern European Jewish heritage. Anyone who is interested in knowing his or her carrier status can ask for the test, but a doctor must order it.
Some provinces in Canada offer Tay-Sachs screening to high school students of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Later, when women who are carriers are considering pregnancy, their partners should also be tested.1
Genetic test results often have ethical, religious, or legal concerns. You should ask to have genetic counselling before making a decision about testing. Genetic counsellors are trained to explain the test and its results clearly. A genetic counsellor can help you make well-informed decisions.
An AJGP may be recommended for people of Eastern European Jewish heritage, especially:
- Adults with a positive family history of a disease that is on the test panel.
- Partners of people with diseases on the test panel. For example, if one partner has cystic fibrosis (CF) and the other partner has the CF gene, a child will have a 50% chance of having CF.
- Couples planning to have children.
- Pregnant women (and their partners) who seek prenatal care, whether they have a history of genetic diseases or not.
 Go to previous section |  Go to top of page |  Go to next section |
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC | Last Updated: October 12, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Siobhan M. Dolan, MD, MPH - Reproductive Genetics Renee H. Martin, PhD - Medical Genetics | |
 | ||
