heritable

her·i·ta·ble (hr-t-bl)

adj.

1. Capable of being passed from one generation to the next; hereditary.

2. Capable of inheriting or taking by inheritance.

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Patient discussion about heritable.

Q. Is alcoholism hereditary?

A. HEY BIanca;that is very true,I think most people know that alcoholism is genetic also,an if you have family members that have had problems,it is best to stay away from it---but we all have free will,an we all dont do the right thing sometimes--I lived with a alcoholic(my father)an it was no fun,drink grape juich or something.mrfoot56

Q. Can autism occur in more than one child? We’re a couple in our early thirties, and have a 8 years old son that was diagnosed with autism. It’s not easy to rear him, but now we feel we are ready for another child. However, we are very worried – our first son was born healthy, and only couple of years later he was diagnosed with autism. We love him very much, but we feel another child with autism will be just beyond our energies. What are the chances we will have another child with autism? Is there any way to diagnose the baby during pregnancy?

A. Having one child with autism does put you in an increased risk group for having another autistic child, however the chances are relatively small. You will not be able to know during pregnancy, and that would be a risk you would have to take, if you want to bring another baby into the world. I know it is not easy, but remember it is of much much higher probability your next child will be healthy.

Q. Is ADHD hereditary? I had ADHD as a young boy. Does this mean my children will have ADHD too?

A. Most doctors now believe that ADHD is hereditary. Environmental factors do not cause ADHD, nor is it a result of poor parenting skills or broken homes. There may be times when outside influences can result in symptoms that mimic ADHD, but the guidelines for diagnosing ADHD take this into account by controls such as the requirement that symptoms must be present in two or more areas of life and must have existed from an early age.