6/30/2023 0 Comments Iftikhar kullo md![]() “Establishing specialized cardiovascular genetics programs could significantly advance our ability to care for people with inherited heart conditions and their healthy family members. Identifying at-risk patients and family members is often life-saving,” Ahmad says. “Inherited cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of sudden death in young people. The AHA statement says that specialized genetic programs like these have the capability to integrate clinical cardiovascular findings-including those obtained from physical examination, imaging, and functional assessment-with genetic information to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and generational family testing to identify and manage risk and in certain cases to provide genotype-specific therapy. Challenges exist with rapid growth in this area of care, including the interpretation of genetic test results and the evaluation, counseling, and management of genetically at-risk family members who have inherited the genetic alteration that increases their predisposition to a certain disease even if they have not yet shown signs or symptoms.Īhmad directs the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Cardiovascular Genetics Program, which is one of a few broad-based cardiovascular genetics programs that currently exist at academic centers. “But it’s important that we have the right people, including medical geneticists and genetic counselors, as well as adequate facilities, equipment, and other resources in place to provide clear and accurate guidance to these families throughout testing and decision-making processes.”Ĭardiovascular genetics is increasingly used to care for patients with multiple inherited heart conditions. “The state of genetic understanding of some heart disorders has improved to the point that we can use this information to help families and offer hope in ways never before possible,” says Ferhaan Ahmad, MD, PhD, University of Iowa associate professor of internal medicine and chair of the writing group for the AHA statement. These programs can also assess patient’s family members without current heart problems and take steps to reduce their risk. In a paper published in the Association’s journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, the AHA says these interdisciplinary programs would take advantage of increased availability of cheaper, faster genetic testing and better understanding of how various heart conditions are inherited to improve care for patients. ![]() To improve care for people with inherited heart problems, the American Heart Association (AHA) is recommending the creation of clinical programs that combine expertise in cardiovascular medicine with expertise in the genetics of heart disease.
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