According to the Human Genome Project, both environmental and genetic factors influence the development of any disease, including hereditary diseases. A hereditary disease or genetic disorder, is caused by abnormalities in a person's genetic material or genome. The four classifications of genetic disorders include single-gene, multifactorial, chromosomal and mitochondrial. There are numerous types of hereditary diseases but relatively common types include Marfan syndrome, sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease.
Thalassemia describes a range of genetic disorders that cause poor hemoglobin function. Thalassemias are hereditary, which mean that they run in families. In some cases a child may develop thalassemia even if his parents show n...
The hereditary form of the disease, called primary hemochromatosis, and the form known as secondary hemochromatosis--which may be caused by diseases or conditions--can cause the buildup of an excess of iron in the body. This ca...
Your risk of heart disease or a heart attack increases if you have a parent or sibling who has had a heart attack or stroke. Research seems to show the risk is mainly seen when a male relative has had a heart attack before the ...
According to the American Heart Association's 2009 update on heart disease statistics, more than 80 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. Sixteen million are diagnosed with coronary artery disease, ...
Hereditary muscle disease is not always passed down from parent to child. In some cases, a spontaneous defect in a gene will cause the disease to develop in the child.
