A Guide to Hereditary Heart Disease

The term hereditary heart disease refers to heart disease which is passed down through the family, and this is considered as being a congenital type of heart disease because it is basically unavoidable and unpreventable. If you have a history of early heart disease in your family then you too are at risk for hereditary heart disease. The most first-degree relatives that you have who have suffered from heart disease, such as your mother, father, brother, sister and so on, especially those who developed it at a younger age, the greater your risk of developing it as well.

Although hereditary heart disease can be caused by a variety of factors, some of them are actually avoidable. For instance if heart disease is clustering in your family, then it may just be due to the way that your family lives, including unhealthy habits such as poor diet, little or no exercise, and smoking. All of these factors can contribute to heart disease and can start the chain of hereditary heart disease.

Stopping the Cycle

Although there is no surefire way to stop the cycle of hereditary heart disease, there are certain things that you can do to try. The main thing is to make sure that the people in your family live as healthy a lifestyle as possible. This means eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet, getting plenty of physical activity, and staying away from bad habits such as smoking and excessive drinking. Heart disease may be caused by various different factors, but although you cannot choose your genes, you can however choose the way you live. By following a healthy lifestyle and taking any medication that is required, it is very possible to lower your risk of developing heart disease, even if your genes predispose you to it.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

There are some particularly extreme cases of high cholesterol which run in families, such as familial hypercholesterolaemia, and this is a genetic problem which results in exceptionally high total cholesterol levels. Whenever this particular ailment is diagnosed, it is crucial that all close relatives to the person diagnosed have their cholesterol levels checked as well, so that they can be treated if necessary. Although there is no way to positively prevent yourself from developing heart disease, you can do things to protect yourself against it as much as possible, and by maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle you will not only be guarding yourself against heart disease but as well against various other heart and health conditions.