False positives more likely in heart disorder genetic testing for black patients

According to a new study, genetic testing is more likely to turn up false positives for black people than white people when looking for mutations related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

According to the New York Times, the discrepancy comes from a lack of diversity in early trials surrounding the testing. There weren’t enough people included belonging to racial and ethnic minority groups, so researchers couldn’t get a full picture of what the mutations might look like in people who weren’t white.

And the cases of mistaken genetic testing could extend beyond this one condition.

The false positives in testing could cause problems for the patients mistakenly believing they have a rare heart disorder, such as emotional trauma and undergoing unnecessary procedures.

Check out the New York Times to see how the mistake could be affecting testing for other disorders and diseases.