genetics of dilated cardiomyopathy

[Penny]

Could you please tell me your opinion on latest research that indicates that up to 50% of IDC cases are due to genetic defects?  Thanks in advance.

[lisa]

Anyone interested in another person's response to Penny's question please see my response in the PVC's responses of this month.  I would rewrite my response again but it is a little long.

In short, yes, yes, yes, yes.  I think physicians should develop a screening protocol for this condition. My father was told he had a freak thing happen to him when his heart failed 10 years ago and he underwent cardiac transplantation.  Little did we know that we (four other members of my immediate family) were walking around with this disease.  Luckily through a series of unlikely events we began to discover that we all had it too.

Good Luck

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

I'm not familiar with the research you are refering to.   Certainly there may be a genetic role in cardiomyopathy and currently the majority of cases of dilated cardiomyopathy are due to unknown reasons.  If there is a genetic role it would certainly raise a number of new questions including who should be  screened and how should people with the gene but no cardiomyopathy be treated.