Is Poor Circulation Hereditary?

Poor circulation is usually due to a condition called arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Poor circulation in itself is not hereditary, but the cause of it, arteriosclerosis disease, can be inherited.

Cause

• Poor circulation, or hypoxia, is a condition where the blood is not flowing to the extremities properly and therefore not delivering the required oxygen to areas of the body. This condition is caused by hardening of the arteries or arteriosclerosis. Hardening of the arteries is caused by plaque building up on the walls of the arteries and slowing down or blocking blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

Complications

• The legs, feet and hands are most often affected with poor circulation. Without blood and oxygen flowing normally to these areas, poor circulation is just the beginning. After that you can have complications such as infections, stroke, migraines, varicose veins, kidney disease and heart attack.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of poor circulation are numbness, tingling, pain, cold skin, redness, fatigue and achiness in your lower legs and feet. Other symptoms to look for in poor circulation are loss of hair on legs, paleness, weak pulse, thick toenails, tight skin, and decreased blood pressure, according to Medline Plus.

Risk Factors

• Arteriosclerosis can be caused by smoking, obesity, poor diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heredity, and lack of exercise.

Inherited Risk

• Many of the risk factors for arteriosclerosis can be prevented such as smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and poor (fatty) diet. But the risk factor that can't be changed is having a family history of early heart disease or someone in your family who developed arteriosclerosis at a young age, according to Merck.com. If someone in your family has heart disease or arteriosclerosis you are more likely to develop it yourself if you do not take care of other risk factors.