A Genetic Test for Heart Disease Risk
A whole genome can find inherited causes of heart disease, most clearly familial hypercholesterolemia, which raises LDL cholesterol from birth. It adds to blood pressure, cholesterol and blood tests and does not replace them. A doctor reads the result with you. Tiers here start at £1,695.
Written and reviewed by the clinical team at The Wellness. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
Message us about my heart risk, or call 020 3951 3429.
When to get help today
A genetic test is never an emergency and a symptom can be. If you have chest pain, breathlessness at rest, or you lose consciousness without warning, call 999 or go to your nearest emergency department today.
If a result has frightened you this week, speak to a clinician quickly rather than searching for more of the same online. Send us the report and someone will read it.
What a genome can show about your heart
Most heart disease has many causes and is not inherited in a simple way. A small share is, and it is the part a genome can find most clearly. The best known example is familial hypercholesterolemia, caused by variants in genes such as LDLR, APOB and PCSK9. It affects about 1 in 250 people, and the British Heart Foundation estimates that around 270,000 people in the UK have it, many without knowing, 2026. A pooled analysis of 19 studies including 2,458,456 people found the same frequency, Akioyamen and colleagues, BMJ Open, 2017.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is treatable. The British Heart Foundation states that treatment greatly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, 2026, and that first degree relatives of someone with it should also be assessed. Finding it in one person is therefore a finding for the whole family.
Lipoprotein(a), which a blood test measures
Lipoprotein(a), written Lp(a), is a cholesterol carrying particle. The American Heart Association states that about 1 in 5 people worldwide have a high level, that the level is mostly inherited, and that a level of 125 nmol/L or higher raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, 2026.
The European Atherosclerosis Society consensus of 2022 recommends measuring Lp(a) at least once in a lifetime, because the level changes little over time, Kronenberg and colleagues, European Heart Journal, 2022. Lp(a) is measured by a blood test and not read from the genome, so we arrange the blood test alongside the genome review when it is relevant to you.
What a polygenic score adds, and what it does not
A polygenic score combines thousands of small variants into one estimate of inherited tendency. In a study of 288,978 people, a score for coronary artery disease placed 8.0% of the population at more than three times the usual risk, Khera and colleagues, Nature Genetics, 2018. A second study of 480,000 adults examined how such a score might add to standard prevention, Inouye and colleagues, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2018.
A polygenic score is a probability and not a diagnosis. It is less certain than a single clear variant, it was developed mostly in people of European ancestry, and it sits beside age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and family history rather than in place of them. We present it that way, and we do not use it to alarm anyone.
What changes if something is found
A clear variant such as familial hypercholesterolemia changes what is done. Cholesterol treatment can start earlier and be stronger, blood relatives can be offered a test for the same variant, and follow up is planned. A doctor explains the result against your age, history and other tests, and a registered genetic counselor supports the conversation about relatives.
If nothing is found, that is reassuring about the inherited causes we read, and it does not remove your risk. Most heart disease risk comes from factors that are measured and treated separately, and those continue as before.
What we would do
One. A conversation with a registered genetic counselor, at no charge, before anything is taken and before you commit to anything. Bring your family history, because it changes what is worth doing.
Two. Saliva at home or a blood draw in Marylebone, sequenced at 30x in a laboratory accredited to ISO 15189.
Three. The result read with a doctor, written into your record, and read again as the evidence moves.
Start with the first conversation
Message us to book the first conversation
Questions people ask
Can a genome tell me if I will have a heart attack? No. It can find inherited conditions and tendencies that raise risk, such as familial hypercholesterolemia. Whether you have a heart attack depends on age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and many other factors, so the genome is one input among several. Tiers here start at £1,695.
What is familial hypercholesterolemia? It is an inherited condition that causes high LDL cholesterol from birth and affects about 1 in 250 people, British Heart Foundation, 2026. It is treatable, and the British Heart Foundation advises that close relatives are assessed too, so finding it early matters for the whole family.
Does a genome measure Lp(a)? No. Lp(a) is measured by a blood test and is not read from the genome. We can arrange that test alongside your genome review, and the European Atherosclerosis Society consensus of 2022 recommends measuring it at least once in a lifetime.
What is a polygenic risk score for heart disease? It combines thousands of small variants into one estimate of inherited tendency. It adds to standard measures such as blood pressure and cholesterol, and it is less certain than a single clear variant. In one study a score placed 8.0% of people at more than three times the usual risk, Khera and colleagues, 2018.
Is it worth it if my cholesterol is normal? Familial hypercholesterolemia usually raises cholesterol, so a normal level makes it less likely. A genome can still be useful for other reasons, such as medicines or other inherited conditions, and we will tell you plainly on the first conversation if it is not worth it for you.
Should my family be tested? If a clear variant is found, a doctor and a genetic counselor explain which relatives may benefit from a test for that specific variant, and how to raise it with them. Relatives are usually offered the single targeted test and not a whole genome.
Message us before you decide, or call 020 3951 3429.
This page is information and not a diagnosis. Sequencing does not replace examination, history or blood work, and no result guarantees an outcome. If you are unwell today, see a doctor today. In an emergency call 999.
References
British Heart Foundation. Familial hypercholesterolaemia, what it is, diagnosis and treatments. bhf.org.uk, read 2 October 2026.
Akioyamen LE, Genest J, Shan SD, et al. Estimating the prevalence of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 2017;7(9):e016461. 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016461
American Heart Association. Lipoprotein(a). heart.org, read 2 October 2026.
Kronenberg F, Mora S, Stroes ESG, et al. Lipoprotein(a) in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and aortic stenosis, a European Atherosclerosis Society consensus statement. European Heart Journal, 2022;43(39):3925-3946. 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac361
Nordestgaard BG, Chapman MJ, Ray K, et al. Lipoprotein(a) as a cardiovascular risk factor, current status. European Heart Journal, 2010;31(23):2844-2853.
Khera AV, Chaffin M, Aragam KG, et al. Genome-wide polygenic scores for common diseases identify individuals with risk equivalent to monogenic mutations. Nature Genetics, 2018;50:1219-1224. 10.1038/s41588-018-0183-z
Inouye M, Abraham G, Nelson CP, et al. Genomic risk prediction of coronary artery disease in 480,000 adults, implications for primary prevention. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2018;72(16):1883-1893. 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.07.079
ISO 15189:2022. Medical laboratories, requirements for quality and competence. International Organization for Standardization.