if someone suffers from....?

Question

say a heart problem, and its genetic, does that mean it will be passed on to the children? is there something that can prevent genetic disorders being passed down? need to know for personal reasons... thank you....

Answer 1

Some genetic problems are carried by one gene, in which case it's likely to be passed along to children. Other conditions are multi-local (affected by several genes) or have no known cause, in which case it may not be clear how likely they are to be heritable. A good cardiologist would be the best person to ask.

Answer 2

First I think you need to know about the heart problem and the gene that causes it. If it is a recessive gene, then the person's partner could be tested to see if he/she has the gene, too. If the partner has 2 normal genes, then it should not be passed down, although the child would be a carrier.

If the gene is dominant, as the other poster said, then there is a 50% chance of it being passed down. There are ways of testing embryos for genetic defects. One way is with preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which is like in vitro fertilization, but for the sole reason of testing the embryo at a very early stage. If the embryo is free of the genetic defect, it is implanted and the child should not have the defect.

For an embryo/fetus that is a little older, chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis should be able to pick up genetic defects. Then the parents can decide what to do.

Of course, all these possibilities are useful only if the exact genetic defect is known. If the defect is unknown, then maybe ultrasound can be used to see if the fetus has the problem.

Those are the general options, but a genetic counselor would know much more about it.

Answer 3

depends on the gene, if it is a dominant gene then luck and reproducing with someone who has the recessive genes lol, something like heart disease generally gets passed on to the offspring. not much you can do without selective breeding

Answer 4

you can do all that you can to stay healthy... anything in your power to prevent heart problems, like exercising and eating right, but sometimes there is nothing you can do to prevent it... but you can do all that you can to make the best of it... love everyone you come in contact with and love those that you don't even know...