Social factor in conducting mass DNA screening by noninvasive methods

Tsekhomsky Alexander Vyacheslavovich, Voronov Alexander Vladislavovich

Mass prenatal screening conducted using non-invasive methods has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the high accuracy and harmlessness of the methods of conducting. Mass screening makes it relatively easy to diagnose fetal development pathologies in a wide range and at the earliest stages. At the same time, non-invasive methods do not require intervention in the natural course of pregnancy, making all procedures quick and painless. Noninvasive screening methods are usually understood as ultrasound examination of fetal structures at different stages of its development. However, contrary to the general opinion, research in this area has moved far ahead. And now there are screening strategies that allow to determine a number of pathologies with high accuracy (up to 97%), such as trisomies in all pairs of chromosomes, deletion rearrangements, etc. Despite the proven effectiveness of such methods for detecting genetic abnormalities and their safety, painlessness, there are still cases of pregnant women refusing to perform such procedures, which is associated with a low level of public awareness. The aim of the work is to determine the level of competence of the general public about the safety of non-invasive methods of mass prenatal screening, as well as to develop recommendations for its increase.

Keywords:mass prenatal screening, awareness, literacy, noninvasive.