Genetic Heart Disease

Genetic heart disease, also sometimes referred to as cardiovascular disease, isn't a specific medical condition, but a term used to describe a variety of heart diseases. Some of these heart diseases include blood vessel diseases, heart rhythm conditions, coronary artery disease and heart defects that a person has at birth. According to the Mayo Clinic, genetic heart disease kills more American men and women every year than any other disease or medical condition.

Symptoms

• The symptoms a patient with genetic heart disease experiences ultimately depends on the patient and the specific heart disease they have. Patients with cardiovascular disease may experience shortness of breath, chest pain, or numbness, pain, coldness or weakness in their arms or legs. Patients with an arrhythmia may experience a slow or racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, fluttering in their chest, chest pain, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting. Patients with a heart defect present at birth may experience blue or pale gray skin, shortness of breath when being fed, poor weight gain, and swelling in the abdomen, legs or around the eyes. Patients with cardiomyopathy may experience shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting, irregular heartbeats, fatigue, abdominal bloating, or swelling of the ankles, legs and feet. Patients with valvular heart disease may experience fatigue, fainting, shortness of breath, chest pain, swollen ankles or feet and irregular heartbeat.

Causes

• Genetic heart disease will have a genetic cause. The patient may have been born with a genetic defect, also referred to as a congenital heart defect, that led to them developing genetic heart disease or they may have been predisposed to developing this condition due to family history. According to the Mayo Clinic, the exact reason why congenital heart defects occur is unknown, but genetics, the mother's medical condition and medications the mother is taking when she is pregnant may play a strong role.

Risk Factors

• Genetic history, also referred to as family history, is a major risk factor of genetic heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, a patient with a genetic history of heart disease increases their chance of developing coronary artery disease. The Mayo Clinic also states that if the patient's parents developed coronary artery disease at a young age the patient has a much higher risk of developing genetic heart disease at a younger age, such as younger than 65 for females and younger than 55 for males.

Complications

• Patients with genetic heart disease are at risk for several complications. According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the most common complications associated with genetic heart disease is heart failure. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart fails to pump an adequate supply of blood to the body. Heart attack and stroke are also possible complications. A heart attack is a condition in which the coronary artery blood flow is blocked by a blood clot. A stroke is a condition in which too little blood travels to the brain due to blocked or narrowed arteries. Other complications include aneurysm, cardiac arrest and peripheral artery disease. An aneurysm is a condition in which a bulge develops on an artery wall. Peripheral artery disease is a condition in which the extremities do not receive adequate blood flow. Cardiac arrest is an unexpected, sudden loss of breathing, heart function and consciousness.

Treatment

• The treatment for genetic heart disease ultimately depends on the patient and type of heart disease. However, certain treatment methods can be used for all types. These include lifestyle changes, medications and in some cases surgery.