Genetic counseling in a case of delayed sleep – Phase

摘要

As we gain more knowledge on genetic mechanisms, the demand for genetic consultations will increase, more areas of human illnesses becoming prone to such a medical activity. Hence genetic counseling was asked by a woman in case of a sleep disorder affecting three generations of her family. In the absence of specific gene tests for circadian rhythm disorders and during a genetic consultation consisting of a singular session, counseling the proband implied explaining briefly and up-to-date, the role of Clock-genes in defining a person’s sleeping pattern, the yet blurred borderline between the influence of the environment and that of the inherited genotype, and also indicating behavioral techniques for managing the sleep deficiency.