What's Coming Up Behind You?

You may already know that you inherited your father’s chin, your grandmother’s sweet tooth, your uncle’s love of puzzles, or your cousin’s goofy sense of humor.  Gathering up a "Family Health History" can help you to understand if you share their health risks too.  Stories of family members’ past health challenges and causes of death hold important clues about the future health of family members. This history can alert you to dangers that may be coming up behind you, so you can plan ways to reduce, or even eliminate, them.

Biological families share genes, and both biological and adoptive families share behaviors that can impact health, such as levels of physical activity and the kinds of foods they eat.  Families often live in the same area, and so are exposed to the same things in the environment, like levels of air or water pollution.  A Family Health History takes these factors into account because they can all affect your health.

Most families have a history of at least one chronic disease, such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.  If you are closely related to a person with one of these types of conditions, you could be at greater risk for developing that disease yourself.   Gather as much information as you can about as many of your close family members as possible:  parents, sisters, brothers, half-sisters, half-brothers, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.   If you have access to death certificates and medical records, it’s even better.  That way you won’t miss information because of memory lapses or gaps in data.  If your history isn’t 100% complete, that's okay - some information is better than none.
Important data to include:

• major medical conditions,
• causes of death,
• age at disease diagnosis,
• age at death, and
• race/ethnic background. 

Keep this information up-to-date and share it with your family and primary care provider.
 
People can’t change the genetic hand that they’re dealt, but they can play their cards well.  When people:

• choose a nutritious diet,
• keep physically active,
• avoid dangerous behaviors such as smoking or drinking, 
• get appropriate screenings (mammograms, blood sugar and blood pressure tests, colorectal cancer screenings, etc.) they can greatly improve the odds of living a long and healthy life.

In some families, there may be taboos around discussing health struggles, or perhaps extended family members just don’t see each other often enough to be comfortable talking about sensitive topics.  These discussions aren’t always easy, and it may be more comfortable to have them one-on-one instead of as a group.  If approached gently and with compassion, your relatives might be happy to share information.  Consider including children in these discussions.  It shows them that their health matters, and that their family is a source of knowledge and support.
 
Mental health history is just as important as physical health history, because some mental health issues can have a genetic component.  Bringing up a recent news report, or even sharing your own experience, may be the ice-breaker that gets the conversation started.  Give family members different options for how they’d like to share information:  email, video chat, or in person.  Keep questions short, and most importantly—be a good listener:  non-judgmental and without interrupting.