Genetics in Aging Genetic Susceptibility Genetic susceptibility is part of a range of factors, including age and general health that contribute to disease or protect against it. The genes you inherit can affect how likely you are to get a disease, and how that disease may affect you. If a person is genetically susceptible to a particular disease, that person's risk of getting the disease is higher. Genetic susceptibility in the presence of certain environmental factors can produce disease. But the combination need not be half and half.
Genes can cause a slight or strong susceptibility to getting a disease.
If the genetic contribution is weak, the environmental influence must be strong to produce disease, as we show in the diagram below.