Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases & When Genetic Screening Makes Sense
Genes are responsible for every aspect of the cardiovascular system, from the way heart cells communicate to the strength of blood cells. As such, a genetic mutation (disease-causing variant) in a single gene can increase the likelihood of developing heart disease.
Cardiovascular diseases can be inherited by children from their parents. This is why other family members are encouraged to undergo genetic screening for risk factors when a loved one is diagnosed with heart disease or heart disorder.
Predicting Risk For Family Members
By following the pattern of a cardiac issue within your family, you may be able to predict the chances of you or other family members having the same problem. Some of the most common inherited heart conditions include:
Familial thoracic aortic aneurysm syndrome
Heart arrhythmias, such as Long Q-T syndrome
Pulmonary hypertension
Cardiac amyloidosis
Heart valve disease
Cardiomyopathy
High cholesterol
Cardiac tumours
There are a number of symptoms and signs that families may not be aware of when genetic cardiovascular diseases are present. They include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, light-headedness and fainting. By undertaking a genetic test in the index case in the family, it's often possible to understand current and future risk of cardiac conditions.
The Importance of Genetic Testing at Specialised Centers
Given the nuances involved and the complexity of cardiac screening, it's important that these tests are performed by specialized centres with experience in genetic testing and the management of inherited cardiac diseases.
This is primarily because they're the people with specialist expertise to help patients and their families reach the true diagnosis, correctly understand the results of genetic tests and make informed decisions about their health and the usefulness and reliability of genetic tests for the prediction of disease in other family members.
Meeting All Your Genetic Testing Needs
The Genetics.ie team offers a wide range of genetic testing services - including cardiovascular genetic screening - under the watchful eye of our founder, the experienced Dr. Willie Reardon. If someone in your family has been diagnosed with heart disease or disorder and would like to understand the risk to other family members, we can help.
To find out more about what we do, visit us today at www.genetics.ie, where you'll discover everything you need to know. Alternatively, to our expert team about your personal testing requirements, simply call 087 4037149, and we'll be glad to assist.