Family history

[Sravan123]

I have strong background of family of cardiovascular diseases. As a routine checkup I went for stress test and came positive. Immediately I see a cardiologist and advised me to undergo angiogram. The angiogram came positive .Angioplasty was done immediately. Iam stable now. My question is how family history and heredity play important role in recognise heart disease at the earliest?

[Maisie2014]

Hi Sravan. I have a strong family history of heart disease which was ignored by the doctors when I was having heart attacks. I have always attended gyms and had a healthy diet. I don’t smoke and very rarely drink (an occasional glass of wine). I started to struggle with exercise and despite many visits to the doctor it was never suggested it could be my heart. I was put on blood pressure meds at age 50 because my dad died at 49 and always received considered care. For two weeks I attended GP saying I was having severe chest pains and was told I had pulled muscles because of my gym visits. When I finally had chest pain I couldn’t cope with I called an ambulance. The paramedics came to the usual conclusion of pulled muscles but took me to hospital. TWO DAYS LATER was told I’d had a heart attack! So YES I think family history does make a difference. I put off my heart attack for 19 years because of my awareness.

[Chappychap]

Of course genetics plays a part, but (at least for heart disease) your DNA isn't destiny. You can fight back.

Three things to think about.

You can have private DNA tests done which helps narrow down the areas of concern. There are many, many genes that contribute towards heart health or problems, and knowing exactly where your precise issues are can help in determining diet, exercise, medication, etc. I had a private DNA test done, not cheap but I found it worthwhile. It's interesting that the chief scientific advisor to the BHF (who host this forum) believes that wider and more detailed DNA testing would be the biggest step forward in the fight against heart disease.

The trigger for heart disease is generally one of the well known risks, such as smoking, obesity, poor diet of processed food, etc. But even though these well known factors cover most risks, they don't cover all risks. There are other, far less well reported risk factors, ranging from sleep apnea to gum disease. And it's the combination of DNA and risk factors that's important. So even if you believe you lead an exemplary life style, it's still worth considering other potential risk factors.

There's an interesting book called Beating The Heart Attack Gene, that's well worth reading, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. It really goes into detail about why your DNA isn't the end of the story, and how you can radically improve your prospects.

Good luck!