Conditions we cover
Navigenics scans your DNA for markers associated with many common diseases. We have rigorous standards for deciding which health conditions to include in Navigenics Health Compass.
- The condition must affect at least one in 1,000 Americans.
- We only include conditions where you can take action after learning your results. In some cases, that action will be lifestyle changes to help prevent the disease. In others, it might be early screening or heightened awareness, helping shorten the time from first symptoms to diagnosis. In some cases, medications may help you prevent or delay a condition.
- The association between the genetic marker and the disease must have been published in a top-tier, peer-reviewed medical/scientific journal and replicated at least once. The association is then vetted by our team of Ph.D. geneticists for accuracy and validity.
Our menu of reported health conditions is being updated continually as new research comes out. Navigenics members are automatically updated by e-mail when new conditions are added to the testing panel.
And if you wish, you can choose not to receive results for certain diseases.
Alzheimer's disease
The most common form of dementia afflicts more than 5 million Americans and generally strikes after age 65. Research is pointing to lifestyle changes that may prevent or delay the disease.
Breast cancer
About 178,000 American women will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and more than 40,000 die of it annually.
Celiac disease
This intolerance to gluten was once thought relatively rare but now is believed to affect about 1 of every 133 people — about 2 million people — in the United States.
Colon cancer
The second-leading cancer killer is preventable through screening and treatable if caught in time. About 150,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer annually.
Crohn's disease
This form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease affects about half a million Americans.
Diabetes, type 2
This increasingly common chronic disease, which now afflicts 7 percent of Americans, can be prevented or controlled through lifestyle changes.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a chronic disease that can damage the optic nerve and lead to progressive loss of vision. The specific kind we test for, exfoliation glaucoma, is estimated to affect about 1 to 2 percent of the general population, and 10 percent to 20 percent of people over 60.
Graves' disease
Graves' disease, the most common form of hyperthyroidism, affects about 0.5 percent of the population in Western countries. It can be treated with medication, radiation therapy or surgery.
Heart attack
About 865,000 American adults have new or recurrent heart attacks each year, and nearly 158,000 annually die from an attack. Lifestyle changes can reduce risk significantly.
Lupus
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that is most common in young women. There is no cure, but medications may help control it and ease symptoms.
Macular degeneration
This eye disease is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people age 60 and older.Multiple sclerosis
Difficult to diagnose, multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. It affects about 1 in 1,000 people in Western countries and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40.
Obesity
Implicated as a risk factor for many other diseases, obesity is now believed to have a significant genetic component. About 33 percent of adults in the United States are considered obese.
Osteoarthritis
The most common type of arthritis affects an estimated 21 million Americans, causing pain, inflammation and a loss of flexibility and mobility.
Prostate cancer
If this generally slow-growing cancer is caught early, long-term survival rates are excellent. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting American men. About 2 million men have prostate cancer or have had it in the past.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a strongly hereditary disorder that affects the skin and sometimes causes arthritis. It affects between 5.8 million and 7.5 million Americans and usually is diagnosed before age 30.
Restless legs syndrome
Up to 10 percent of the U.S. population may have this neurological condition, characterized by the irresistible urge to move the legs, which can disrupt sleep.
Rheumatoid arthritis
This autoimmune condition affects more than 2 million Americans, causing pain, swelling and stiffness in joints.