Abstract

STROH VAN DEVENTER, B; DU TOIT-PRINSLOO, L  and  VAN NIEKERK, C. Postmortem genetic testing in young individuals: What clinical medical practitioners need to know. SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. [online]. 2022, vol.112, n.12, pp.886-889. ISSN 2078-5135.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2022.v112i12.16800.

The death of a young person is most often a tragic occurrence, more so when this death was unexpected. Forensic pathologists are mandated to investigate such deaths, and there has been a strong move internationally towards genetic testing as an additional investigative tool. The aim of our article is to bring the advantage of implementing the so-called molecular autopsy in a local setting to the attention of medical practitioners. When a multidisciplinary approach is taken in cases of sudden unexpected death, the benefits to family members, and society as a whole, are irrefutable.

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