When I was younger I was told I have a heart murmur. Does that matter?
Heart murmurs can be due to numerous things. They can be due to a problem with the heart valves, they may be due to a hole in the heart. Some children when they are born are identified with a heart murmur that is usually due to a hole in the heart. In many situations, if […]
A family member has a cardiomyopathy. Does this mean it will be passed on to me?
Cardiomyopathies are usually familial, by that I mean they run in families and they are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. That is to say that if a parent has a cardiomyopathy, there’s a 50% chance that the cardiomyopathy will be transmitted to any one of their offspring. So in the context of a family […]
If someone is overweight are they more at risk from these conditions?
Obesity predisposes to cardiac problems, it predisposes to high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiomyopathy. Obesity in itself is a separate morbid entity, it does not overlap with the genetic and congenital conditions that cause sudden death in young, apparently healthy individuals or athletes. Having said that, obesity needs to be tackled and maintenance of a […]
