Although hereditary heart diseases are relatively rare, they may be life-threatening for some patients. What are these diseases?
Hereditary heart diseases, also called genetic heart disease, are a wide range of diseases that are transmitted from parents to children, which occur as a result of genetic mutations in the genetic material called DNA. In this article, the most important points related to this will be clarified. diseases.
Hereditary heart disease
The term hereditary heart disease refers to many conditions or disorders that affect the heart muscle and blood vessels, and in the following we mention the most common of these diseases:
Cardiomyopathies
Cardiomyopathy diseases are various health problems that affect the heart muscle, which lead to its weakness and inability to perform its function normally, which leads to difficulty in pumping blood to the rest of the body’s organs. Examples of these diseases include the following:
1. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
This type of morbidity occurs as a result of an increase in the thickness or thickening of the wall of the heart muscle, especially in the left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping blood.
2. Dilated cardiomyopathy
In this type of morbidity, there is an expansion of the left ventricle, which causes its inefficiency to pump blood.
3. Arrhythmic right ventricular myopathy
Heart muscle tissue may become fibrous as a result of scarring, especially in the right ventricle, which leads to arrhythmias.
4. Restrictive cardiomyopathy
This type of disorder refers to the hardening and loss of elasticity of the heart muscle, which causes it to be unable to expand to accommodate sufficient amounts of blood to be pumped to the rest of the organs.
Hereditary heart rhythm disorders (Familial arrhythmias)
The problem of hereditary heart rhythm disorders occurs as a result of a defect in the work of the cardiac proteins responsible for the electrical activity in the heart. These disorders include the following:
Long QT syndrome and short.
Polymorphic catecholamine ventricular tachycardia.
Brugada syndrome.
Hereditary cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels associated with it, such as: the aorta, coronary arteries and other arteries, and in the following we mention some of them:
Familial hypercholesterolemia.
Marfan syndrome
Sudden cardiac death syndrome
This condition occurs as a result of an unexplained disorder in the heart rhythm, and the seriousness of this syndrome is that its diagnosis occurs after death.
Symptoms of hereditary heart disease
Some patients may not have any symptoms. However, hereditary heart diseases may cause the following signs and symptoms:
palpitations.
shortness of breath.
feeling dizzy
Temporary loss of consciousness and sudden fainting.
Diagnosis of genetic heart disease
There are many hereditary heart diseases, so it may be difficult to detect them easily, but the specialist doctor may examine the patient and ask him about the symptoms and his medical and family history. In addition, he may perform some diagnostic tests, which include the following:
Echocardiogram.
Electrocardiogram.
X-ray imaging.
Computed tomography.
Cardiac catheterization.
Conducting some laboratory tests, which include the following: examination of kidney function, examination of liver function, examination of some types of proteins produced by the heart, examination of thyroid function, examination of iron levels, and examination of genes.
Treatment of genetic heart diseases
The treatment of these diseases depends on the type of heart problem, and on other factors, such as: the severity of the disease, and the patient’s health condition, as some patients may need only some annual examinations and medical follow-up, while others may need various therapeutic interventions.
In general, the methods used in the treatment of hereditary heart diseases include the following:
1. Medical measures
Medical measures used to treat hereditary heart conditions include:
Medication treatment.
Assisting the patient in establishing a healthy lifestyle, such as creating programs for a healthy diet and sports activities.
2. Hardware therapy
Some patients may need to install or implant some medical devices inside their bodies to manage conditions related to arrhythmias, and these devices include the following:
Pacemaker.
Cardiac pacemaker and defibrillator.
Left ventricular assist device.
3. Minimally invasive procedures
Some cases may require some types of techniques that help relieve symptoms and complications of heart problems, and these procedures include the following:
Cardiac ablation is a process of cauterization of the heart to relieve arrhythmias.
4. Surgical operations
There are a variety of cardiac surgeries, and doctors may resort to them for a variety of reasons, including emergency situations or failure of all treatment plans to manage the problem.
In the following, we mention some of these operations:
Coronary artery bypass graft.
Surgery to replace or repair heart valves.
Heart transplantation.
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