Genetics Blog: The Genetics of Heart Disease
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By Allison Janson Hazell, Genetic Counsellor As a genetic counsellor, I spend a lot of time talking to people about their family health histories. I’d estimate that in the past three years, I’ve recorded over 1000 total. It is rare to take a family history where there isn’t some type of heart disease—whether it is a history of heart attack, stroke, coronary artery disease or cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). This isn’t surprising, given that heart disease is one of the leasing causes of death among Canadians. So, in honour of Heart and Stroke Awareness Month, I thought I’d shed some light on the genetics of heart disease. In the January issue of the Medcan Newsletter, Dr. Myers provides a really informative review about family history of cardiovascular disease. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I highly recommend it. As he points out, there are certain red flags to look out for in your family history:
As with most health conditions, there is an important distinction between ‘multifactorial heart disease’ and ‘hereditary heart disease.’ Multifactorial heart disease refers to disease that is caused by a combination of contributing factors, both genetic and non-genetic. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common type of multifactorial heart disease. Environmental factors, such as smoking, diet, obesity and stress can increase risk. In addition, high cholesterol is an important risk factor in the development of CAD, and this can be caused by environmental factors as well as your genetics. Personal Genome Testing at Medcan looks beyond standard risk markers (cholesterol levels, blood pressure) by looking at two genetic markers (9p21 and MTHFD1L) that independently increase risk for cardiovascular disease. This allows us to assess for genetic predisposition to heart disease, in order to better personalize your risk. Hereditary heart disease generally refers to a single gene change (genetic mutation) that causes an increased risk for heart attack or sudden cardiac death. In hereditary heart disease, individuals often inherit their mutation from a parent. Depending on the type of hereditary heart disease, genetic testing may be available and important cardiac screening recommendations may be advised for family members. If you are concerned about possible hereditary heart disease in your family, talk to your doctor about the possibility of a referral to a Medical Genetics Clinic To book an apointment with a Medcan Genetic Counsellor please contact our bookings team at 416-350-3621 or email bookings@medcan.com. |