Inherited Health Problems

[emmie]

i know there are some conditions that can be passed through the family, but
could a a person inherit a parents chronic back, disc problems, may seem vague i know, just wondered. I know i have inherited things from both parents, family, just some are not that that obvious to others, but some are to me...

[pixie373]

Possibly. You have inherited your skeleton / bone structure somewhere. Might depend on the cause.

[emmie]

thing is i only know my father had chronic back problem, but didn't see him after my folks got divorced, but other distant members did see him once or twice and they said he ended up walking with two sticks. My mother always thought he was a malingerer, any excuse not to work, so maybe he did have problems in that area... no way to find out now either as he passed away some years ago.

[Sqad]

emmie...;-) I can only answer you question from "first principles."

Intervertebral disc disorders are almost always associated (or mainly) with disc and vertebral body degeneration and as this is often inherited (the rate of degeneration), I must say that it would not be unusual to see this type of disorder passed down in families.

I am not an Orthopaedic surgeon or Rheumatologist.

[emmie]

thank you pixie, sqad, have seen the neurology registrar, i will now have to wait for open MRI scan, the problems have been many as you can tell, i am also waiting to hear the results of the blood diabetes, lipids, cholesterol test, which should come back this week, i had to do the fasting bit... and will see, but walking is now so problematic.. i only learned of my fathers problems in recent years, long after he passed away.

[saxy_jag]

I have early signs of the family arthritis and once asked my doctor the same question. Not inherited, he said, but there is a lot of research that gives credence to what he called 'genetic predisposition'. Which means, I think, that I have inherited the type of body that is more susceptible to the disease.

I guess it's a bit like the colour of your skin affecting how much sun it can take before it burns.