Does having a family history of heart disease mean you will definitely get heart disease? Answers to questions about heart disease you don't know

People with a family history of heart disease are often more concerned about a realistic question: Is heart disease definitely hereditary?

Regarding this question, some people may answer that it is definitely hereditary because they have heard of congenital heart disease. So the question is, is congenital heart disease a hereditary disease? Does having a family history of heart disease mean you will definitely get heart disease?

Congenital heart disease is a congenital malformation of the heart and blood vessels caused by abnormal embryonic development of the heart and blood vessels. There are hundreds of types including ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus.

This disease sounds like a genetic disease, but it is not. Hu Dayi, a professor at Peking University Medical College, once clearly mentioned in his book "Reading is Beneficial: Seeking Medical Advice" that congenital heart disease is not a genetic disease, but some families do have multiple children with different types of congenital heart disease, or multiple cousins ​​with the disease [1].

Generally speaking, if one relative has congenital heart disease, the chances of others suffering from the disease increase by 3 times (3% of the population); if two members have the disease, the chance increases to 9%; if three members have the disease, the chances of others suffering from congenital heart disease increase to 50%.

Although congenital heart disease has a certain genetic tendency, it is not absolutely inherited according to the data. Wu Yongquan, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, also said that the same is true for other heart diseases. Although some heart diseases are related to genetics, most of them are just a genetic tendency, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, etc.

So what is a genetic predisposition?

The so-called genetic tendency means that the occurrence of the disease is related to multiple genes, or in addition to genes, there are many environmental factors and other risk factors. Therefore, many heart diseases are just a genetic disease, not what we call a hereditary disease.

However, if there are diseases related to sudden death in the family, then everyone should pay more attention. If there are brothers and sisters in the family who have experienced sudden death, it is necessary to check yourself, or even do corresponding genetic tests to assess the possibility of the disease. After all, heart disease is not the same as cancer, and even patients at risk of sudden death can still be treated.

In addition to examinations, preventing heart disease requires more changes in lifestyle habits.

For example, keep your emotions stable. Tension and excitement can cause a sudden rise in blood pressure, which can induce a heart attack. Improve your self-cultivation and strive to be broad-minded, optimistic, cheerful, open-minded, and easy-going. Resolutely quit smoking. Cigarettes contain the toxic substance nicotine, which can cause complete artery contraction or spasm of the heart, thereby inducing an acute attack of coronary heart disease [2].

In addition, actively treating other diseases related to heart disease is also a preventive measure. For example, actively treating high blood pressure, especially a sudden increase in blood pressure can increase the workload of the heart; diabetes should also be actively controlled, as diabetes can promote or aggravate coronary heart disease. For primary diabetes, blood sugar should be controlled within the normal range.

Although heart disease is not necessarily hereditary, it can sometimes be caused by other diseases, so you must pay attention to healthy living in your daily life. If conditions permit, you can go to the hospital for regular check-ups.

References:

Hu Dayi. Is congenital heart disease hereditary? [J]. Kaijuanyi: Seeking Medical Advice, 2002(09):9.

Yang XJ. Prevention of sudden cardiac death[J]. Journal of Practical Cardiovascular Diseases, 14(7):1.