Make sure your family is heart healthy

Q: Heart troubles seem to run in my family -- so I worry about having a heart attack while I exercise and about my 35-year-old son’s risks and how to help protect him. Any suggestions? -- Drew R., Santa Barbara, CA

A: It’s true that the risk for cardiovascular disease can be genetically passed down in some families -- chronic high cholesterol or cardiomyopathy (there are two kinds, one that causes the heart wall to thicken, the other causes it to become thin and weak), for example. If those conditions appeared in your parents, their close relatives or your siblings, you should be screened and so should your son -- and regular cardiocheckups are wise. Fortunately, there are steps to take, such as improved lifestyle habits and medications and/or surgical procedures, that can reduce -- even eliminate -- the risks associated with genetic predispositions to these conditions. It simply requires that you have frequent interaction with -- and pay attention to the advice of -- an aggressive, preventive internist or cardiologist.

However, families may see heart disease in multiple generations because of a family history of habits and conditions such as sedentary behavior, overweight/obesity, smoking, excessive drinking, and not managing chronic stress responses linked to life circumstances or mental health challenges.

A 2019 study found that the proportion of heart attack in folks younger than 40 increased by 2% annually from 2000 to 2016. That’s because obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure are affecting increasingly younger adults -- and those folks aren’t tuned into how easy it is to manage such conditions into non-problems.

You and your son need to work with your docs to determine what your risk factors for heart disease are -- and then address them.

As for your worry about the risk of a sudden heart attack when you exercise, a recent study that looked at records of 4,078 sudden cardiac arrest cases in people 65 and older found that just 1.9% happened during or following an activity, such as bicycling, a gym workout, running, or playing golf or tennis.