Transmission of Heart Disease

The risk of heart disease can be attributed on several factors. These include lifestyle issues such as smoking, a high fat diet, lack of exercise and being overweight. A risk of transmission via your genetic inheritance is the one which you can't do much about. However, knowing your risk can help you take more rigorous steps to lessen the other risks.

Heredity

• If your relatives have a history of heart attacks or heart disease, your own risk increases. The risk is higher if parents, a brother or sister, or grandparents had a heart attack or stroke at an early age, especially if a male had heart problems prior to age 55 or a female had problems prior to age 65. Related risk factors such as the tendency to have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure can have a genetic component.

Racial Factors

• Some races show a stronger tendency to transmit heart disease or related heart problems. For example, the risk of heart disease is stronger in families with Mexican, American Indian, Hawaiian backgrounds. High blood pressure, which has strong implications for heart problems, tends to be more severe in African Americans than in those with a European/Caucasian background. However, some scientists relate this difference to a greater tendency to be overweight.

Compounding the Risk

• According to the University of Virginia, clinical trials showed that the hereditary danger of heart disease rises even more when not just one, but both your mother and father have had heart problems.

Congenital Heart Defects

• Certain congenital heart defects are genetically-based, increasing the chances that a parent with the defect will pass the problem to the child. Down syndrome, which is genetic, often causes heart defects as does the lack of genetic substance to a specific chromosome 22.

Atrial Fibrillation

• Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm, called arrhythmia which affects the flow of blood. The problem can affect older people, those with high blood pressure or heart muscle or other structural problems. However, researchers at the Mayo Clinic also have discovered a genetic basis in some families.

The Importance of Family History

• Your family's health history will help ascertain if you have an increased risk of genetic transmission of heart disease. Factors to consider are the exact heart problem and the age at which a relative began having problems or died. Share this information with your physician who can then make more informed decisions as to testing, medications or lifestyle changes that would lessen your specific risk.

Preventative Care

• You can't change your genetic make-up but if you learn that you have a high risk of heart disease, you can take steps to ensure your health. Tests such as electrocardiograms or MRI can help find potential problems before they escalate into a heart attack or stroke. It's especially important for you to follow the guidelines for a healthy heart in diet, exercise and non-smoking.