The contribution of familial and heritable risks in heart failure

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent literature regarding the familial heritability of heart failure and to discuss the possible mechanisms through which this risk is mediated. Recent findings Data from the Framingham Heart Study recently showed that the parental occurrence of heart failure increases the risk of heart failure in offspring. Although the mechanisms mediating this increased risk are not elucidated, heritable risks of heart failure may result from genes affecting the cardiac or vascular systems. Alternatively, familial risk may be mediated partly through the inheritance of recognized or as yet unidentified risk factors for heart failure. Heritable components or genetic loci for quantitative traits contribute to the development of hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, and metabolic conditions, which collectively increase the risk of heart failure. Summary A careful assessment of the family history of heart failure and associated risk factors may identify treatable targets that can potentially reduce,the likelihood of developing heart failure, and can assist in the implementation of preventive strategies for risk populations with stages A and B heart failure.