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Family Health History – A Glimpse Into the FutureLooking forward, looking backIf you ever wondered what your health will be like in 5, 10 or 25 years? Would you use a free genetic test to tell you if you were at risk for a heart attack or stroke? Do you want your children to have easy access to this information for themselves and future generations? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are in luck! Your family history holds the key to information about your past and clues to your future health. Most people know that our physical traits, such as eye color and height, are inherited. What many people don’t realize is that our risks for some health problems are also inherited. Heart disease, diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, and certain cancers are just a few examples of health problems with a hereditary component. But families share not only genes, but environment and lifestyles as well. Family history helps predict your risk for these conditions. Often there are steps you can take now to prevent health problems later, even those that run in your family. The then U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona and the US Department of Health and Human Services declared Thanksgiving 2004 the first annual Family History Day. They also developed an online tool to help you collect your family history. By collecting your family’s health history and sharing it with your health care providers, you can learn what health problems you may be at increased risk for in the future and how to reduce your risks. For instance, people at increased risk for heart disease may be able to reduce their risk through not smoking, regular exercise and diet. Other family members can also benefit from the information you collect, and best of all, it’s free! Where do I start?The thought of taking your family history may seem overwhelming. There are many tools, discussed below, available to help. Start with talking to your parents and grandparents, if possible. Older relatives are often a great source of information. Respect the feelings of relatives who may not feel comfortable sharing their medical information with you. The holiday season, traditionally beginning with Thanksgiving, is a great time to start gathering information. Vacations, other holidays and family reunions can also be opportune times to discuss these issues with family members that you may not see on a regular basis. As each generation ages, opportunities and information will be lost. If you are adopted, you may be able to learn some of your family history through the family that adopted you or from adoption agency records. Digging deeperFor the beginnings of a written family history, lists of family members and their birthdates may be found in baby books, wedding albums, or sometimes a family bible. It is helpful to collect medical records in order to confirm certain medical problems. Collecting documentation such as birth and death certificates can be done by contacting the County Clerk or Recorder of Deeds in the county where the event occurred. To obtain marriage and divorce records contact the Recorder of Deeds or Circuit Clerk respectively in the county of the event. You can also contact the Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records for birth, death, marriage and divorce information at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/BirthAndDeathRecords/index.html or 573-751-6387. Obtaining the most accurate information is very important in order to make your family health history work for you. Recording your informationOne way to record a family history is by drawing a family tree called a “pedigree”. This can be done by hand or by using various computer programs. There are many tools available to help you. The Surgeon General’s website includes an online tool, My Family Health Portrait, which allows you to save information on multiple family members, as well as drawing a family tree. The National Coalition for Healthcare Provider Education in Genetics has a quarterly newsletter that includes information about how healthcare providers can use a genetic family history to improve their patients’ health. The American Medical Association recognizes the importance of family history and provides a free pamphlet on how to obtain and use a medical family history. The National Society of Genetic Counselors also has a family history tool with instructions and guidelines. DHHS/Surgeon General’s website: http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/ National Coalition for Heathcare Provider Education in Genetics: http://www.nchpeg.org/content.asp?dbsection=newsletter American Medical Association: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14399.html National Society of Genetic Counselors: http://www.nsgc.org/consumer/familytree/index.cfm Who and what?You can start with writing down your own health history – be sure to check with your parents for things you might not know or remember from childhood. Next, move on to your siblings and children, as well as your parents. Going back one generation at a time, gather information on aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins and grandparents. Ask questions about their ages, dates of birth and death, and causes of death. Note medical problems like cancer (including what type), diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Find out whether birth defects such as spina bifida or heart defects occurred alone, or were accompanied by other birth defects, learning problems, or mental retardation. Mental illness and alcoholism have a genetic component too, and are important to record. Include vision and hearing loss, especially those that occur at younger ages. Include the age, if possible, of each person when their medical condition began or was diagnosed. Putting your family history to work for youMeet with your primary healthcare provider to review your family history. Note patterns that occur – multiple close family members with diabetes, for instance. For each health concern, discuss whether there are steps you can take now – such as altering your diet, exercise, or lifestyle habits – to prevent you from being diagnosed with the same problem. Talk to your relatives and encourage them to take the same steps.
If you have specific concerns about your family history, it may be helpful for you to meet with a genetics specialist. You can find genetic professionals in your area by visiting the “Find a Counselor” link on the National Society of Genetic Counselor’s Website (www.nsgc.org), the Clinic Directory on the Genetests website (www.genetests.org). Disease specific information can be found on the Genetic Alliance website (www.geneticalliance.org), and the Genetics Home Reference website (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/). The Department of Health and Senior Services contracts with four genetic tertiary centers in Missouri. These centers are: Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital |
