Inherited cardiac conditions

What is the impact of inherited cardiac conditions?

Unfortunately, inherited heart conditions can often be missed or not managed appropriately, especially if you are otherwise healthy, without symptoms, and your family history has not been mapped and managed. 

Although it can be difficult to predict a sudden death caused by an inherited heart condition, the knowledge and experience of our specialists on these diseases allow us to identify the majority of patients at risk, and to provide treatment to prevent further complications. 

Other complications, such as stroke, non-fatal arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems) and heart failure can also be evaluated and managed. Now that it’s possible to prevent these complications as soon as the risk is identified, the process of assessing your individual risk needs to be performed thoroughly, which is where our cardiologists and genetic specialists can help. 

Symptoms of inherited cardiac conditions

Inherited arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) syndromes, such as long QT syndrome, typically affect the electrical channels of the heart cells, causing electrical disturbances. These conditions may present with palpitations and fainting. 

Inherited conditions of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies) can cause symptoms during physical activities. These symptoms may vary from strenuous to mild and may affect the lifestyle and quality of life. They are usually manageable. 

Meanwhile, aortopathy and the associated connective tissue diseases are the conditions that affect the large arteries within the body. These diseases may be asymptomatic but carry risks of sudden collapse.  

Additionally, inherited conditions include pulmonary hypertension and lipid disorders such as familial hypercholesterolaemia (lipidopathy). 

In general, some common symptoms that might suggest you or your child have an inherited heart condition include: 

• chest pain 
• fainting 
• light-headedness 
• shortness of breath 

Some people with inherited heart conditions may have no symptoms at all, or may not experience symptoms until later in life.  

If you or your child experiences any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact us to book a short-notice appointment with one of our specialists.

Causes of inherited heart conditions 

Inherited heart conditions are caused by a DNA change in one or more genes that are passed down from a parent to a child. These genetic faults can lead to problems with the heart’s structure or rhythm, and the severity of the problems can vary between individuals and families.  

The age at which symptoms start to show can vary from person to person. Experts believe that a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors can have an impact on this, such as pollution levels and viral infections (environmental) and physical activity, diet, weight and sleep (lifestyle). 

Diagnosing inherited cardiac conditions

Diagnosis of inherited heart conditions can be difficult for a variety of reasons, including the variability of the disease expression, their complex nature and the subtlety of some of their features. 

The diagnosis for many of these diseases is based on a combination of markers from different diagnostic areas such as: 

• arrhythmic 
• cardiac imaging 
• clinical and family history 
• electrocardiographic 
• genetic 
• histological 

The most common diagnostic tests include: 

• blood tests 
• ECG 
• echocardiogram 
• exercise test 
• genetic testing (where appropriate, and supported by genetic counselling) 
• Holter monitor (rhythm monitor) 
• MRI scan 

Additionally, these tests are carefully interpreted for the risk assessment of these patients. 

We can provide all diagnostic tests in a 1-day assessment in order to ensure the best possible service for you.

Inherited heart conditions treatment 

The management of patients with inherited heart conditions depends on their clinical expression and risk profile. It ranges from monitoring to medical and interventional treatment. Our specialists are leading the way in new treatments and have extensive experience in their implementation.  

Certain details of your medical history and the results of the investigation can be helpful for our cardiologists to choose the appropriate patient management pathway. 

Fortunately, interventions and appropriate management have significantly improved the outcome for patients with inherited heart conditions, with our specialists aiming to enable you to live a life as close to normal as possible. Treatments can include: 

• implantable devices to correct arrhythmias 
• lifestyle changes 
• medication 
• nonsurgical procedures 
• surgery 

Our specialists will recommend tailored treatment options based on your or your child’s results. Contact our team to learn more about booking an appointment with us.

Personalised investigations and diagnostics 

Due to the rare nature of some inherited cardiac conditions, the clinical experience with these diseases is limited to a few centres around the world. 

Our multi-disciplinary team at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals includes cardiologists, surgeons, genetic specialists, neurologists, imaging experts, psychologists, and specialist nurses. The team works closely together in joint clinical meetings and are supported by a cutting-edge research programme. 

Together, our team delivers an integrated day case diagnostic service to children, adults and families and a complete programme for the management of patients. 

We work closely with each patient and family to provide complete information on their condition and the available treatment options. An important aspect of the service is the screening of family members of all ages for these inherited conditions. 

Families can be seen together, easing the burden for the family in terms of travel and communication difficulties and, depending on individual cases, some consultations and appointments can be carried out online. This provides a completely integrated care plan for both individuals and families affected by these conditions.