Question:

With a family history of bundle branch block, am I likely to have the same?

I am a 41-year-old woman. My grandmother (my father’s mother) had right bundle branch block in her heart and my father has left bundle branch block. I am overweight. My BP is normal now. What are my chances of getting heart problems or heart diseases? Thanks.

Submitted by Noopur from India on 10/27/2014

Answer:
by Mohammad Saeed, MD

If your father and grandmother had only bundle branch block but no other heart disease, then the chances of these passed on to you are very small. There are some very rare genetic conditions where people tend to develop disturbance with the heart’s electrical conduction system, but the most common cause of the bundle branch block is age-related. A simple way to check would be to get a 12 lead EKG. If it is normal, then most likely your father and grandmother had an age related problem.