Healthy Nevada Project Releasing Results with Participants

The Healthy Nevada Project aims to analyze the DNA of thousands of Northern Nevadans for the kinds of ailments to which we may individually be genetically predisposed.

In September 2016, the pilot project enrolled 10,000 participants in just 48 hours. In March 2018, phase two of this monumental project expanded to an additional 40,000 participants with genetic testing partner Helix.

“How do we talk to people about how they can continue to be well, as opposed to how do they treat themselves when they become ill?” asks Joe Grzymski, principal investigator for the Healthy Nevada Project.

Click for earlier stories about Healthy Nevada.

Results are being returned on three conditions: familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, and Lynch Syndrome.

The first of those three conditions, familial hypercholesterolemia, is an inherited disorder that leads to aggressive and premature cardiovascular disease. It’s something only 1 in 250 people have.
Jordan Stiteler is one of them.

“At first I was nervous and a little anxious,” she explains. “I’m 29, and I can get a jump on this. And I can figure out if my son has it so he doesn’t have any negative effects later in life.”

The project’s overall goal is simple – better the health of our area – which has lagged behind the rest of the country.

“We have one of the highest rates for cardiovascular disease in the country,” says Dr. Chris Rowan. “We want to move the ball on that pretty significantly. One of the easiest ways to do that is to find genetic problems that are existing in our community.

If you want to take part in the study, you can head over the 780 Kuenzli Street in Reno or sign up at HealthyNV.org.

 

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