Influence of family history on heart disease
Dr Md Habibe Millat
Background family history, a well-known risk factor for coronary heart disease, represents genetic, environmental, and behavioural elements, and the interactions between them. If a family member (father, mother, brother, sister) has a history of early heart disease (before age 55 for men and before age 65 for women), you are at a higher risk for heart disease than someone with no family history of early heart disease. For heart disease, the relative risk ranges from 2.0 to 9.0 among persons who report a family history, depending on the type and number of relatives considered.Having coronary heart disease in the family could be linked to an inherited tendency for high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol levels. Alternatively there may be unknown genes causing coronary heart disease which is not related to obvious inherited risk factors. They often relate to lifestyle habits that are passed from one generation to the next. But these factors only explain part of the problem. In familial hyperlipidaemia (increased blood level of lipids), a high blood cholesterol levels run in the family. It means that you have inherited a faulty gene that affects the way that excess cholesterol is produced by your body. This increases your blood cholesterol level, which increases your risk of atherosclerosis (the narrowing or furring of the coronary arteries). If one parent has the gene then his or her children have a 50:50 chance of inheriting it. If you have been told that you have familial hyperlipidaemia, it is important that you tell other members of your family so that doctors can measure their blood cholesterol levels and advice appropriately. A family history of early heart disease is a risk factor you cannot change. However, if you do have heart disease in the family, it is very important to eliminate any other risk factors you may have, such as smoking, a diet high in saturated fat and salt, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or being sedentary or overweight. Educate yourself about heart disease
Even if it runs in the family, reducing and controlling the risk factors will significantly reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease. Talk to your relatives and find out everything you can about your family's history of heart disease. Eat an extra serving of fruits and vegetables, daily. Enjoy a brisk walk. It is very important to tell your doctor if you have a family history of coronary heart disease. They you should test your blood cholesterol levels and your blood pressure. Depending on the results, they may suggest that you make lifestyle changes or start taking medication. Dr Md Habibe Millat MBBS, FRCS (Edin) is a Senior Specialist Registrar, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cork University Hospital, Republic of Ireland. Email: mhmillat@hotmail.com
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