Medical genetics

Medical genetics is a branch of medicine that looks at how our genes affect our health. Our genes are like small pieces of code inside our bodies that contain instructions for how our bodies should work. Each gene controls a different part of what makes us who we are, like our hair color, our height, and even whether we have certain diseases. Medical genetics looks at how these pieces of code can cause diseases, and how doctors can fix them. For example, if someone had a gene that caused them to be at risk for heart disease, doctors could use medical genetics to figure out how to treat the problem and help prevent the person from getting heart disease.