Mum fears her girls may inherit life-threatening heart condition (From Daily Echo)
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Mum fears her girls may inherit life-threatening heart condition
9:00am Friday 27th February 2009 in Search
A HAMPSHIRE mum, who suffers from a life-threatening heart condition, is facing an anxious wait to see whether her two daughters are also affected.
Frances Thomas was diagnosed with the heart muscle disease cardiomyopathy when she was 17 – and now she fears her two children may have inherited the illness.
The 40-year-old, from East Wellow, was left wheelchair bound after being diagnosed with the incurable disease Friedreich’s ataxia – though she has been told daughters Kate, 21 and Amy, 15, are unlikely to have the condition.
She is attending a cardiomyopathy day tomorrow (Saturday) in the hope that doctors can provide her with some answers.
Frances said: “With Friedreich’s ataxia, both parents have to have a gene mutation for a child to inherit it. As my husband, Clyde, has not got the mutation, the girls will not inherit it.
“But if my hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a separate condition, could the girls inherit it from me? Only one parent needs to be affected for this condition to be passed on.”
Cardiomyopathy is the biggest medical cause of sudden death in under- 35s and four young people die suddenly from it each week in the UK. But when found, it can usually be treated.
Frances will be meeting with leading expert, Professor William McKenna, during a Cardiomyopathy Association information day to ask whether her daughters are at risk.
She added: “I have been told it is unnecessary for my daughters to have regular heart checks, because they will not inherit the ataxia.
“But I want to find out from Professor McKenna if he thinks they should be checked, because my cardiomyopathy may be unrelated to it. Both my daughters appear to be very healthy, but it would settle my concerns for them.”
The information day is taking place at Solent Hotel and Spa in Rookery Avenue, Whiteley, between 9.30am and 5pm.
For more information on cardiomyopathy, go to www.cardiomyopathy.org or call 0800 0181 024.
