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Heredity & Heart Problems

There are many types of heart disease, some caused by lifestyle choices, some caused by viral or bacterial infections and others caused by hereditary problems. It is important to understand the different types of hereditary heart diseases and the symptoms of those diseases so you can take preventative measures. You can treat hereditary heart problems with lifestyle changes, surgical procedures or medications that can help prevent a serious coronary event like a heart attack.

  1. About Heart Disease

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women throughout the world. The term "heart disease" describes a wide variety of conditions that affect or damage the heart or even the blood vessels. A hereditary heart disease can be a physical heart defect you are born with or a genetically caused inability to produce important enzymes.

    High Cholesterol

    • Cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis, which is a damaging build-up of plaque in the major arteries of your heart. While atherosclerosis can result from poor diet and lack of exercise, hereditary factors can also cause this condition. Individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia can suffer from problems with cholesterol due to mutated genes. People with this genetic mutation may need to take medications to lower cholesterol, even while maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle.

    Irregular Heartbeat

    • Some hereditary heart diseases cause an irregular heartbeat, sometimes referred to as a heart murmur. Long QT and Brugada syndrome are both examples of this type of hereditary disorder. According to the Heartgenes website, Long QT causes "an electrical disturbance to the heart's rhythm," while Brugada causes the ventricles of the heart to beat too fast. Both conditions are serious and can even cause sudden death.

    Physical Heart Defects

    • People can be born with physical defects in the structure of the heart. These hereditary conditions, also known as congenital heart disease, can include things like a hole in the heart that keeps it from working properly. Another type of heart disease that may be present at birth is a cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathies involve problems with the heart muscles thickening or weakening, making the muscles incapable of pumping blood correctly.

    Prevention/Solution

    • It is important to discover any type of heart disease as early as possible. Physicians can run genetic screening tests and tests on your heart function to find out if you have any hereditary heart problems. Some treatments that you may use to address your heart problems are cholesterol control medications, surgical procedures to repair defects and healthy lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy weight and a diet low in cholesterol, combined with regular exercise, is important to managing any heart problem.

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