Is Heart Disease Hereditary?

A very relevant question doing the rounds nowadays is the role heredity plays in an individual contracting a major disease like heart or cancer or even diabetes. More specifically, given modern life style and competitive activity, people want to know if in addition to the dangers they are exposed to already, they can fall prey to a disease due to heredity factors. The impression is that if they know this to be true, they can probably take effective measures to combat this.

The disturbing fact is it is true and possible. Individuals whose parents have a problem of clogged arteries and cholesterol deposits are more likely to have them also. Besides heredity, the Race and ethnic influence are other factors. For instance, African Americans are more at risk of hypertension and consequently they are at greater risk of developing heart disease and even stroke.

Individuals whose family history reveals suffering from diabetes, gout or high cholesterol levels are also at greater risk of heart disease.
Studies on the genetic impact with regard to diseases like heart, stroke and hypertension is still on and these are being conducted over a large mass. The impact at an individual level is still unknown.
An individual with a heart defect since birth is more prone to have a child with a similar defect than the public in general. Study is still on about isolating the genes that cause these problems.
This does not imply that you are helpless and can do nothing about heredity induced diseases. Stop worrying about what you cannot change and start modifying your daily routine to include a lot of exercise, a diet which is balanced and quit tobacco oriented products. Knowledge about what is beneficial to you and adhering to a disciplined diet and exercise regimen will go a long way to minimize the effects of any disease and can even prevent them. In the meanwhile you can check the family’s previous medical records and try to glean information. The records will give you valuable insights into the health conditions of your grandparents, aunts, nephews. With this, you will be able to understand:

• Reasons of their death.
• The age at which they contracted the disease and their medical condition at that time. Critical parameters influencing their condition.
• Their cultural and ethnic surroundings and milieu.
  It is important to speak to your family physician and share the information you have gathered. He will use it as a base to:
• Check the exposure to disease.
• Advise modifications in the daily routine to enable prevention of the disease.
• Recommend examination and other investigation tests to ascertain the presence of the disease.