Family medical history

Family medical history is a record of health information about a person and his or her close relatives. A complete record includes information from three generations of relatives, including children, brothers and sisters, parents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, grandparents, and cousins.

Families have many factors in common, including their genes, environment, and lifestyle. Looking at these factors can help to determine disease risk and prevent disease. A family medical history can identify people with a higher-than-usual chance of having common disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, and diabetes.

Collecting a Family Medical History[edit | edit source]

Patients can help their healthcare provider by collecting a detailed family medical history. The following steps can help gather this information:

Write down the names of close relatives from both sides of the family: parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
For each relative, write down any health conditions or diseases that this person has or had. Specific ages and causes of death are also helpful.
Use tools such as the My Family Health Portrait tool to record this information.

Using a Family Medical History[edit | edit source]

Healthcare providers can assess a patient's risk of disease based on their family medical history. This can help to:

Identify whether a patient has a higher risk for certain diseases.
Offer additional screening or testing for patients at risk.
Recommend lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Use this information to support decisions about disease prevention and management.

Limitations of Family Medical History[edit | edit source]

While a family medical history provides information about the risk of specific health concerns, it has limitations. For example, it cannot predict future health status with certainty. Even if a person has a disease gene, they may not get the disease.

References[edit | edit source]

Family medical history Resources
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