ROCHESTER, Minn. >> It’s not unusual to have one or more family members with some form of heart disease. Nonetheless, some people may not even know they have heart disease until they experience a heart attack or stroke or are diagnosed with heart failure.

Despite the prevalence of heart disease, many people are still unclear about how genetics can impact heart disease and, most importantly, what they can do to lower their risk. Stephen Kopecky, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, explains how you can improve your heart health, even if your family has a history of cardiovascular problems.

Heart disease is a broad term that describes several conditions impacting the heart’s structure and function. The most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease typically caused by plaque buildup in and around the artery walls on the heart. But you may also have heard of heart valve disease, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), conditions involving the heart’s electrical system, or congenital heart disease. The exact symptoms depends on the type and severity of the disease.

Lifestyle factors — encompassing how much you move, what you eat, how well you sleep and more — play the biggest role in your heart health, Dr. Kopecky says. But circumstances you can’t control — namely, your genetics and family history — also impact your risk of heart disease.

Congenital heart disease, for example, is thought to run in families — meaning the condition may be passed down, also called inherited, from parent to child. Other research indicates that some genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome and certain types of muscular dystrophy, may be linked to cardiovascular conditions.

Family history may have a hand in heart disease that develops later in life as well. Though the exact numbers range, research consistently indicates that people with a family history of coronary artery disease, for example, have a significantly higher risk of developing the condition themselves. Similarly, people from families with two or more premature heart-related deaths have a three times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease themselves before age 50.

Understanding your family history is an important piece of the puzzle, according to Dr. Kopecky. Genetics account for 20% to 30% of your risk, Dr. Kopecky says. But positive habits such as regular exercise and a healthy diet can impact your genes much more drastically.

Distributed by Tribune News Service.