Is Heart Failure Genetic?

A healthy heart ensures you have the energy to move through your day with ease and also supports healthy organ function throughout the rest of your body. When you rely on Shahnaz Begum, MD, FACC, and the team at Heart Care for heart health support, you are in the best of hands.

Heart failure is a common cause of concern, and many people are unaware of the role of genetic factors in preventing it. Here is some information on the role of genetics and how you can improve your chances of a lifetime of heart health. 

What is heart failure?

Despite its dramatic name, heart failure does not mean your heart has failed to function. It is a condition in which your heart is not keeping up with its demanding workload. Heart failure occurs when your heart doesn’t pump blood through your arteries effectively. 

Your heart is a muscular organ around the size of your fist. It contracts thousands of times a day in a somewhat predictable rhythm, and each pump forces oxygenated blood into your arteries, where it travels to nourish all of the organs and tissues of your body. 

Heart failure can develop on either the left or right side of the heart or both sides. Congestive heart failure is a specific condition in which the blood that is returning to the heart through the veins begins to back up, causing congestion and swelling. 

A family history of heart failure is not the same as a diagnosis

Put simply, just because one or more close family members experience heart failure does not necessarily mean you’ll also develop the condition. While researchers believe that heart failure has a genetic component, numerous other factors cause or contribute to heart failure. 

Lifestyle choices are the most critical factor. The choices you make each day regarding how you fuel your body, how much exercise you incorporate into your routines, and the quantity and quality of your sleep greatly influence your risk of developing heart failure. 

A genetic predisposition to heart failure does not mean you have no chance of avoiding the condition. You can absolutely “beat the numbers” when it comes to charting your own course for heart health.

That doesn’t mean you can ignore genetics

If you have a genetic mutation that increases your risk of heart failure, or you have a strong family history of the condition, you do need to take special care to protect against developing heart failure yourself. 

This means coming in for preventive heart health visits and getting screened more often than you might if you had no genetic predictors for heart failure. Everyone should pay close attention to their heart health, but active health tracking and proactive lifestyle modifications are critical for those genetically predisposed. 

If you’re unsure of your personal risk level for heart failure, contact the Heart Health team to schedule a thorough assessment. In addition to offering advanced treatment for heart health issues, we also focus on preventive cardiology and provide the tools you need to improve your chances of achieving a lifetime of optimal heart health. 

When you’re ready to begin, call Heart Care at 469-910-5558 or book online. We welcome Frisco, Texas, residents to take the first step in reducing the risk of heart failure and other severe heart conditions.