Descendants of enslaved people may be given free opportunities to conduct DNA testing of their family history. Some of them would also like to include the risk of hereditary diseases in that research. That knowledge about people with this background is currently lacking, experts tell NU.nl. While it can be very valuable.
The House of Representatives wants DNA testing to be free for descendants of enslaved people who want to know their family history. This can increase knowledge about the colonial past. It is not yet certain that the government will implement the House’s wishes.
Descendants of enslaved people are happy with the House’s wish, they say to NU.nl. They would also like to have research done into the risk of hereditary diseases that occur relatively often in them.
An example is sickle cell anemia, a hereditary form of anemia. This disease is common among people who have their roots in Africa. An estimated one in seven people with ancestry from Africa carries the gene that causes the disease.
Volg koloniale geschiedenis
‘Added value if you are already doing research’
Bart Biemond, professor of hematology at Amsterdam UMC, is in favor of more extensive DNA testing of descendants of enslaved people who want it. “That can help the population to detect the risk of hereditary disorders that are common in people with African roots,” he says.
According to Biemond, more attention is needed for disorders that mainly affect people with a non-white skin color, such as descendants of enslaved people. ‘White’ diseases that occur at about the same rate, such as cystic fibrosis, receive much more attention and research funding.
You have to understand what you are saying yes to.
Henk-Jan Guchelaar, professor of clinical pharmacy at the Leiden University Medical Center, confirms the added value of DNA research into diseases and care risks in the descendants of enslaved people. Health care in the Netherlands is not always well equipped for them.
“Genetic variants are related to ethnicity,” says Guchelaar. “Previous research I’ve done showed that Aboriginal people of Australia were less able to process certain medicines than white Australians. This could also be the case with descendants of enslaved people.”
‘Genetic research into your health can have a major impact’
Not everyone sees bread in the plan. Marc van Mil, associate professor of biomedical genetics at Utrecht University, thinks it is a bad idea to “automatically link two completely different studies”.
“You have to understand what you’re saying ‘yes’ to. Genetic research into your health can have a lot of impact. It’s not for nothing that there’s a whole support team behind it in the hospital.”
Van Mil says that with a single DNA test, research can be done into both your family history and your risk of hereditary disorders. But that initial research requires comparison material from other people. That is not available in a hospital that checks whether you have hereditary diseases. So you have to call in other parties for comparison material.
Expertise center confirms health care inequality
Pharos, the national expertise center on health differences, confirms the lack of knowledge about diseases related to ethnicity, skin color or social origin.
Prejudice and discrimination can also play a role in health care that does not sufficiently meet the needs of people with a migration background. Descendants of enslaved people belong to that group.
“Think of ointments against skin diseases that don’t work well on dark skin,” says descendant Jacintha Groen-Stewart. “It would be good to rectify this by learning more about the genetic origin of Dutch people with African roots.”
