Carrier Screening for Cystic Fibrosis, Gaucher Disease, and Tay-Sachs Disease in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population

Abstract
CARRIER SCREENING for Tay-Sachs disease in the Ashkenazi Jewish population has been the paradigm for the development of heterozygote detection programs. Screening for Tay-Sachs disease started in the early 1970s, and to date more than 1 million individuals have been tested. The success of this program has been well documented, and it is highlighted by the reduced incidence of the disorder in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.1