How we wish to be cited:
Norberg B. Heredity of heart [health]. Rondel 2002; 10. URL: http://www.rondellen.net

Heredity of heart

Heart infarct at age 27-48. The pedigree is from Reference No 3, presented as a poster in Swedish at The National Meeting of the Swedish Medical Association Nov 29, 2001, Stockholm. The main contents of the poster are now translated to English by Bo Norberg (3).

No, Berit, I cannot explain why premature heart infarcts have been common in your family. The concept of "heredity" is extremely complex (1). It comprises biological, psychological and social components.

Family research, genealogy, is as marvellous as hereditary research in biological, psychological and social contexts. At least in Swedish genealogy (cf 2), a family name could be propagated by adoption but not by a female offspring.

Your family, Berit, has not suffered worst. There is one family, in which no man has yet reached the age of 50 without heart infarct for four generations (3).

Some cases may be due to environmental factors. Three of the nine men with premature heart infarct were miners, working in dirty mines with dust, dynamite gases, and carbon monoxide (3).

Psychological factors and life style may have contributed in other cases. Two of the nine men, a teamster and a factory worker, were extreme workaholics with a type A behavior, "fey" in the sense of their own dialect and of Scotch English. "He will not live long", folk thought already when these men were children.

It is a bit of a comfort that most members of such families have done well, although some of them were short-lived. My hypothesis is that farming and lumbering in Northern Sweden selected muscular athletes in the period 1850-1950. The heart was prone to be the weakest link of their chain (cf 1,4,5).

We will go forth with these problems, Berit! At Umeå University, there is a project for the future, GENOS, the aim of which is to explain the biological background of premature heart infarcts by the methods of molecular biology.

The GENOS project is designed and implemented by a generation of younger scientists. I conclude my part by describing the families affected by premature heart infarcts for future scientists. I also hope to serve the members of the families with advice and support in contacts with health care.

Bo Norberg

References

  1. Norberg B. Bequest for better and worse [health]. Rondel 2001; 7. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/health07_eng.htm
  2. Huss A. Vi Hussar 1614-1964 (Swe).Stockholm 1965.
  3. Norberg B, Boman K, Isaksson B, Jansson J-H, Johnson O, Lind L, Wennerstrand L. Hereditary heart infarct in young age. Poster IN 14 P National Meeting of the Swedish Medical Association, Stockholm, Nov. 29, 2001.
  4. Ångström T. The first medical students in Umeå [culture]. Rondel 2001; 9. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/culture09_eng.htm
  5. Mörnstd H, Norberg B. Medical Trouble-Shooting. An introduction to doctoring, p. 32. Meda, Göteborg 1991. ISBN 91-630-0538-7,

Published April 22, 2002