Decoding the Heart: Genetic Testing as a Game Changer in Cardiovascular Medicine
The Invisible Roots of Heart Disease Heart disease is often thought of as the result of poor lifestyle choices, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or aging. While these factors undeniably contribute to cardiovascular problems, they are only part of the story. In many patients, heart disease develops without obvious risk factors, leaving families and physicians searching for answers. For decades, doctors could see the damage—thickened heart walls, irregular rhythms, enlarged vessels—but often didn’t know why it happened. The deeper cause, hidden within DNA, went unexplored. Today, that’s changing fast. Genetic testing is revealing the invisible roots of complex cardiovascular conditions, shining light on inherited disorders that can lead to life-threatening problems like heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Inherited heart diseases often run quietly in families, striking different generations in different ways. Some people may live symptom-free while carrying gene...