The Majority of Medical Diseases that Run in Families
The majority of medical diseases that run in families are either genetic or hereditary, meaning that the differences in the genes that are frequently passed down from one generation to the next are the root cause of these conditions.
Heart Diseases Passed on Through Inheritance
Heart illnesses that run in families, including coronary artery infection, are one of these diseases that are passed on through inheritance. The term "heart disease" refers to a wide range of disorders that affect the heart. These conditions include blood vessel complications like coronary artery disease, problems with heart rhythm, and congenital heart defects, among others. The term heart disease is in most cases used interchangeably with the cardiovascular disease which refers to the complications that engage the narrowing of the blood vessels that can result in heart attack or even stroke. However, various forms of heart conditions are preventable or manageable with the healthy lifestyle preferences.
Recognizing Symptoms of Heart Disease
The primary sign of the heart disease in individuals is the heart attack or other severe episodes; however, some significant indications can assist one in recognizing the predicaments before they manifest. In the early phases, there might be the appearance and disappearance of the symptoms that look like plain irritations. For instance, one may have the heart arrhythmias that may cause difficulty in catching breath following a moderate physical exertion. There is also a feeling of discomfort or pinching in the upper chest that may go for approximately a half an hour to a few hours, irregular heartbeat, intense fatigue, and breathe shortness (MAYO CLINIC, 2018).
Inheritance of Heart Disease
The heart disease has lately been of interest as it is among the killer hereditary complications such as the congestive heart failure which is the frequent primary source of mortality and morbidity within the developed nations. When it comes to the mode of inheritance of the heart disease, what comes into play are the genes which are the essential units of life and are of chemical composition known as the DNA. The genes offer directives for the cells to create proteins that perform the entire body functions and form one’s physical distinctiveness. Every person has at least 20,000 genes, and every gene has two copies, and the inheritance of one replica is from the mother while the other is from the father. The mutation in one or more genes passed from one generation to another is what causes the genetic conditions.
Autosomal Dominant Pattern
The majority of the genetic heart conditions are hereditary in the autosomal dominant pattern, meaning that there is an equal effect on both the men and women. Dominant means that even if each gene has two copies, a mutation in either is sufficient to lead to an infection. For that case, an individual with an autosomal dominant condition possesses a standard copy of the gene and another copy with an alteration. The probability of passing the anomalous gene copy to an offspring is 50%, and likewise, every child has a 50% likelihood of inheriting the standard gene copy and evading the danger of growing the condition. Typically, a half of the portions of the relations having the autosomal dominant heart condition will develop the complication (Cirino, 2014).
Using Pedigrees to Determine Heart Disease
The initial stage in endeavoring to conclude whether the heart disease exists in one’s family is by drawing a pedigree which is a family tree that indicates those possessing and those not having the condition of concern. The lineage organizes the information as regards the therapeutic record of the family members, exemplifies the affected persons, identifies the inheritance pattern, and also discovers the individuals who are at risk for the complication. When sketching the pedigree, it is of significance for one to know if the relations have undergone the diagnosis of a heart problem, perished all of a sudden or unexpectedly, or do possess other serious medical issues. Moreover, as the immediate family members of an individual having the autosomal dominant condition all have the 50% danger of the gene mutation inheritance that leads to the relations’ complications, they should go for evaluation by the professionals to know if they are under infection.
Gathering Family Information and Openness
Gathering information as concerns the history of a family always has challenges as most of the time the individuals are not aware of their health status for not having visited a doctor or have not performed the necessary tests to know if they have the heart disease or not. Also, some members of the family are not always open and do not respond positively to the asked questions. If one has the heart complication, he or she should be open to the children and explain to them that they have 50% chances of developing the infection and they should go for screening as early as possible to determine their status and seek medication if necessary. When performing the advanced library search for the inheritance of the heart complication, the best search terms to use are the combination of the inheritance modes of the disease and its signs and symptoms for one to have various results before narrowing them down to the relevant results.
References
Cirino, A. L. (2014, July 2). Genetic Testing for Inherited Heart Disease. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769178/
MAYO CLINIC. (2017, October 6). Heart disease – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118
