Fortnightly features' series: Your Family Health History

The importance of knowing your family health history

 

You may be going to your O&G for a prenatal check when he starts asking you about your parents and grandparents’ health and medical history. It is no curiosity on the doctor’s part, but rather an important part of determining your and the baby’s health henceforth.

 

Many health conditions run in families because relatives have many genes in common and often share similar behaviours such as smoking, poor-diet and lack of physical exercise. Your family health history is able to provide your physician with detailed understanding of what conditions may affect you and the risk it may present before they affect you. You can also plan for, prevent and make a conscious effort to avoid these conditions.

 

Preventive actions also involve the recommendations of certain diagnostic tests to confirm a diagnosis. Knowing that colon cancer is a prevalent disease in you family, for example, can allow the doctor to recommend a colonoscopy test to find out if you are at risk.

 

And most of all, by having a clear perspective of your genetic history, your doctor can help to identify other family members who may be at risk and predict the chances of you passing on these diseases to your children.

 

It is important to note also, that even if a high prevalence of certain diseases runs in your family, it does NOT mean that you will definitely get it. This is because there is often a mix of genetic and environmental factors, such as smoking or a sedentary life, that cause these conditions. So check with your physician to determine if there are any lifestyles modifications that you need to make.

 

Documenting your family health history

 

A family health history is traditionally charted on as a family tree, with medical details for specific conditions.

 

·         Collecting information from your relatives

Gather as many family members as possible as start asking questions about their health history. The closer the relative is to you, the more likely it is that your will share some of their genes.

For this reason, the most important relatives to collect information from are your parents, children and brothers and sisters (siblings).

These relatives are called your first degree relatives. Next, you should collect information about relatives who are a little more distant such as your grandparents/grandchildren, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews and half-siblings.

These relatives are your second degree relatives. Finally you should collect information about your cousins (third degree relatives).

Remember, that a family health history only includes people that are biologically related to you.

 

·         Information to Collect

-          known medical conditions

-          age of diagnosis and/or death (if person is deceased)

-          Ethnic and cultural background, some ethnicity are known to have higher risks of developing certain diseases

-          General lifestyle, eg. Smoking, substance abuse, exercise regimes

-          Known mental health problems such as schizophrenia and depression, which are known to run in families.

-          Also, find out if any close relatives who have had children together

 

·         Common health conditions that affect families

-          Asthma

-          Birth defects

-          Cancer (breast, ovarian, prostate, bowel, colon, skin)

-          Diabetes

-          Heart disease

-          Mental illnesses

-          Osteoporosis

-          Pregnancy losses

-          Stillbirths

-          Stroke

Creating a family health history

This could be in the form of a list or a chart, listing you and your family members, any diseases or conditions affecting them, their sex, if they are dead or alive. Keep the list updated and discuss them with your health practitioner whenever you need to.

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