In regards to a question I asked about congenital heart disease?

Question

It was my Fathers brother who died when he was 3 hour old and heart disease was found at the post mortem. Would this mean it would dfinetly be hereditary

Answer 1

The fact that your uncle died of a congenital heart problem when he was 3 hours old does not give us any information as to whether the problem is hereditary. However, if he was the only member of your family who has had congenital heart disease, then odds are that it was an isolated occurrence. Think about it, if it were a hereditary disease, someone else in your family would likely have had it too by now.

Answer 2

I am assuming your father has no cardiac problems since you didn't mention any so it was not hereditary in his case,. The fact disease was found in your uncle's heart when he was three hours old tells nothing about that disease being hereditary,nor does it tell us it was genetic,it could be either or both or neither.

Answer 3

No, it doesn't. the fact it was present at birth means it was more of an abnormality than a disease - probably a malformation of the blood vessels or heart chambers. If you had anything similar, it would have shown by now, I expect. If you're worried about any future children of your own, you would need to find out exactly what the condition was to find out if it tends to run in families. Offhand, though, I don't know of any which do.

Answer 4

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) has many diverse causes. Some factors are environmental, such as chemicals, drugs, or infection. However, the bulk of CHD is thought to be genetic in nature. Infections such as German measles (Rubella) can produce CHD. Women with diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus and phenylketonuria are at high risk for their children to be born with this disease. Other causes include the mother's excessive intake of alcohol and illegal drugs while pregnant. There are many genetic conditions which can be a factor in causing CHD, such as DiGeorge syndrome (22q11 deletion syndrome), Holt-Oram syndrome, and Alagille syndrome. Although these factors are known causes of CHD, most are currently unknown. Therefore, the causes of most cases of CHD are unknown.(Wikipedia)
The majority of congenital heart diseases occurs as an isolated defect and is not associated with other diseases. However, they can also be a part of various genetic and chromosomal syndromes such as Down syndrome, trisomy 13, Turner's syndrome, Marfan syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome.
No know cause can be identified for most congenital heart defects. Congenital heart diseases continue to be investigated and researched. Drugs such as retinoic acid for acne, chemicals, alcohol, and infections (such as rubella) during pregnancy can contribute to some congenital heart problems.(MedlinePlus)
Please see the web pages for more details on Congenital heart disease.

Answer 5

Not necessarily, but be aware of the fact that your dad could be prone to it too. Unless others in yourfamily have the same problem then it probably wont affect you. Try not to get worked up about it. It sounds like what happened to your uncle was a one-off. If you get really worried, have a talk with your GP who can put your mind at rest.

Answer 6

Difficult question to answer but you can get some idea from the topic I have searched out, may be it will help:

What Is a Congenital Heart Defect?

A congenital heart defect is a structural problem (or defect) in the heart that is present at birth. A baby's heart begins to develop shortly after conception. During development, structural defects can occur. These defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, and the arteries and veins near the heart. Congenital heart defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can:

* Slow down
* Go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place
* Be blocked completely

Congenital heart defect is the most common type of major birth defect. Each year, more than 30,000 babies in the United States are born with congenital heart defects.
Types of Congenital Heart Defects

There are many types of congenital heart defects. They include:

* Abnormal passages in the heart or between blood vessels
* Problems with the heart valves
* Problems with the placement or development of blood vessels near the heart
* Problems with development of the heart itself

To better understand the effects of these problems, see "How the Heart Works."

Some of these problems are described below.
Abnormal passages in the heart or between blood vessels

* Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall that separates the upper chambers (atria (AY-tree-uh)) of the heart. This causes blood to leak from one atrium to the other.
* Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a hole in the wall that separates the lower chambers (ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls)) of the heart. This causes blood to leak from one ventricle to the other.
* Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) includes an ASD, VSD, and abnormal development of the atrioventricular valves (tricuspid (tri-CUSS-pid) and mitral (MI-trul)). This causes blood to flow abnormally inside the heart. An AVSD is also known as an atrioventricular canal defect.
* Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a persistent connection between the aorta and the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery. This connection is called the ductus arteriosus and is normally present before birth. In most babies, the vessel closes within a few hours or days after birth. In some children, the vessel fails to close, resulting in PDA.

Problems with the heart valves

Congenital heart defects can involve any of the valves and include the following types of problems:

* Stenosis. The valve opening is narrow and does not open completely.
* Atresia. The valve does not form, so there is no opening for blood to pass from one chamber to another.
* Regurgitation. The valve does not close completely, so blood can leak back through the valve.

Examples of particular heart valve problems include:

* Aortic valve stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic (ay-OR-tik) valve in the heart that causes it to open incompletely. This can reduce blood flow to the body.
* Pulmonary valve atresia is a defect in which a solid sheet of tissue forms in place of the pulmonary valve. This prevents blood in the right side of the heart from traveling normally to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
* Pulmonary valve stenosis is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve. The narrowing slows the flow of blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs. The heart must pump harder to push blood through the smaller opening.
* Tricuspid valve atresia is a defect in which a solid sheet of tissue forms in place of the tricuspid valve. Without the tricuspid valve, blood entering the right atrium cannot travel normally to the right ventricle and then to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
* Ebstein's anomaly is a defect in which the tricuspid valve is both displaced and abnormally formed. The valve leaks and allows blood to flow back into the right atrium instead of to the lungs to pick up oxygen.

Answer 7

No ,congenital means that he was BORN with the heart problem. It means at birth, not hereditary.

Answer 8

YES , MOST CERTAIN ..MY FAMILY HAS A PAST HISTORY OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE ON BOTH SIDES , SO I GOT BE CAREFUL

Answer 9

It can be.