Genomics and Health

February is American Heart Month

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the U.S. Almost 700,000 Americans die of heart disease annually. This represents about 29% of all U.S. deaths. To raise awareness of this disease, since 1963, Congress has requested that the President proclaim February as “American Heart Month.”

The chance of developing coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking steps to prevent and control factors that put people at greater risk. Heart disease tends to cluster in families; thus, family medical history offers important information for identifying risk in individuals. Such histories can capture the effects and interactions of shared genetic and environmental factors that lead to disease in a family. In addition, there are several genetic disorders associated with increased risk of premature heart attacks. A relatively common disorder is familial hypercholesterolemia, which may affect one out of 500 people in the U.S. Early detection of this disorder can contribute to reducing the burden of heart disease in affected individuals and their families. In the future, genetic testing to determine personal-risk estimates for heart disease may also prove useful, but this approach has not yet been scientifically validated.

For more general information, see:

• CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
  Heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the U.S. Almost 700,000 Americans die of heart disease annually.
• American Heart Association

For more specific information about family history and genetic testing, see:

• Family Health History
• CDC National Office of Public Health Genomics: Genetic Testing and Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: A Case Study
• Jim’s Story: A Family History of Coronary Heart Disease Case Study  (PDF 165 KB)
• National Library of Medicine Information on Familial Hypercholesterolemia