Is embryo screening able to identify hereditary heart disease?
Only for certain types of heart disease- I am also not sure who this screening is available to and what the criteria is. A gene has been identified which leads to high cholesterol (which could cause Coronary heart disease) and an increased risk of heart attacks. The procedure detects a disease called familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), it will also identifies a milder form that can be controlled by drugs and diet. In the UK, the licence was given last year to test embryos for FH at the University College Hospital in London. There are two types of FH. Heterozygous FH, which affects 1 in 500 people is caused by a single mutated gene, which raises cholesterol- increasing the risk of hardened arteries, heart disease and stroke. It can usually be managed with statin drugs and diet. The above testing may not help in your case. Have a chat with your GP again,- any other specific testing I am not sure about. Edit Hi. Embryo screening will not be able to detect whether or not someone is going
