Since the risk for heart disease is in large part inherited, it is important to screen family members for the inherited trait found in the patient with heart disease. While this remains a major objective, LDLC reduction alone is not optimal therapy in the majority of CAD patients. It has been estimated that this approach to treatment of heart disease can reduce the need for costly medical procedures and save between 2 to 10 Billion dollars per year for the US health care system. The major reason heart disease seems to plague certain families is genetics. We all inherit many characteristics from our mothers and fathers.
Many characteristics are beneficial but some are harmful.
In the case of coronary heart disease, specific traits have been identified that substantially increase the risk of developing heart disease. This DNA is a template for all your characteristics. A chromosome is a very long chain of DNA that has many genes on it. When a child is conceived, it receives one of the paired genes from each parent. During preparation for procreation, special cells are made that have only one set of chromosomes during a process termed meiosis.