What to Expect from Heart Disease Genetic Counseling

Genetic counseling helps patients cope with the complexity, emotional issues and medical challenges of a diagnosis and prepares them for optional genetic testing.

7:00 AM

Author | Jane Racey Gleeson

Discovering you have a genetic heart condition — such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Marfan syndrome or another inherited condition — often leads to a wide spectrum of emotions: fear of dying, confusion about the diagnosis and worries about family members inheriting the condition.

MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Genetic counseling helps individuals work through these emotions and prepares them for genetic testing to confirm a genetic component is involved in their diagnosis. Counselors discuss how the testing might impact patients and their families and help them gain a better understanding of their family health history.

What to expect

During a genetic counseling session, which typically lasts 30 to 60 minutes, an individual meets with a genetic counselor. Counselors are health care professionals with specialized graduate degrees and experience in medical genetics. They are part of the health care team, providing risk assessment, education and support to individuals and families at risk for, or diagnosed with, an inherited condition.

During genetic counseling, the patient will:

  • Explore his or her family health history

  • Talk about decisions that may need to be made

  • Learn which tests are available and decide whether testing is something he or she wants to pursue

  • Discuss insurance coverage

"It's important to understand the pros and cons of genetic testing for the individual as well as for the family," says Michigan Medicine certified genetic counselor Rajani Aatre, M.S., M.Sc. Aatre works with patients at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center and specializes in inherited cardiovascular conditions.

SEE ALSO: 5 Basics to Know About Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

"Genetic testing is often not straightforward or may reveal other unexpected information," Aatre says. "It's very important to be aware of all the issues prior to undergoing testing."

For example, how do patients use the test results for medical management and intervention with other family members, especially when it involves their children?

Know your family history

Having as much information about your family history as possible in advance of your appointment is also important, says Aatre.

"The more information you can share, the better."

This includes as much health information as possible about yourself and relatives, including parents, siblings and their families, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., and whether any of these family members have had genetic testing.

If relatives have died, you'll be asked to share circumstances of their death, including how they died and information about any untimely deaths.

Knowing your ethnic background is also important, says Aatre, because certain ethnicities are at greater risk for some genetic conditions.

Genetic testing, which may be done the same day following genetic counseling if the individual chooses, involves taking a blood sample that is sent to one of five or six labs in the country specializing in inherited cardiovascular testing.  

"Most insurance companies cover genetic testing," Aatre says, "but genetic counseling may not be covered. This can be verified prior to the appointment." 

According to Aatre, "If you choose to see a genetic counselor, you can expect help in understanding what tests are available and what those tests may show, as well as guidance to help you decide whether testing is something you'd like to pursue."

For more information or to make an appointment for genetic counseling or testing at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, call 888-287-1082.


More Articles About: Heart Health Cardiovascular: Diseases & Conditions genetic counseling Genetics
Health Lab word mark overlaying blue cells
Health Lab

Explore a variety of healthcare news & stories by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles.

Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories Microscopic image of bone marrow with pink and white hues
Health Lab
Novel risk score for cardiovascular complications after bone marrow transplant
More bone marrow transplants, also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, are being offered to older patients, a population at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
dna strand
Health Lab
Female genetic markers may have greater effect on hypertension, certain cardiovascular diseases
Female genetic markers may have greater effect on hypertension, certain cardiovascular diseases
Adult performs CPR on a young athlete, illustration with red and blue figures
Health Lab
Sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes: 5 things parents should know
Sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes: 5 things parents should know
Provider takes a pulse oximetry reading from a patient's finger
Health Lab
Inaccurate pulse oximeter readings could limit transplants, heart pumps for Black patients with heart failure
Racially biased readings of oxygen levels in the blood using pulse oximeters may further limit opportunities for Black patients with heart failure to receive potentially lifesaving treatments, such as heart pumps and transplants
Illustration of a magenta heart with white plaque on a golden background.
Health Lab
What is heart disease?
Tanuka Piech, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center, answers questions about heart disease, why we should care and what we can do to help prevent it.
Woman sweating hot flash fan
Health Lab
Menopause and migraines: New findings point to power of prevention
Women who have both migraines and a long-term history of hot flashes and/or night sweats have a slightly higher risk of heart disease and stroke, and young women who have migraines have a higher risk of later persistent menopause symptoms.