{"id":17127,"date":"2020-11-26T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2020-11-26T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=17127"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:00:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:00:47","slug":"family-health-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/family-health-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is family health history important?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fourth Thursday in November brings to mind family feasts, turkey trots, and pumpkin pies\u2014but another special day actually falls on the same date: National Family Health History Day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deliberately scheduled on a day when you\u2019re traditionally with family, the holiday seeks to raise awareness for the importance of knowing health information about those who are genetically related to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn some instances, such as family histories of cancers or enlarged hearts, knowing about this risk before a person develops the disorder is very important so that appropriate tests can be ordered to catch problems early,\u201d says Amy Shealy, genetic counselor in Cleveland Clinic\u2019s Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. Gathering this information this Thanksgiving can seem daunting, but knowing a few key things to ask\u2014and how\u2014can help guide the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>RELATED: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/things-should-not-keep-from-doctor\/\"><b>5 things you shouldn\u2019t keep from your doctor<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-diseases-run-in-families\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What diseases run in families?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are hundreds of conditions that could run through families,\u201d says Shealy. \u201cSome are very strongly hereditary such as Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome, certain forms of colon cancer, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some conditions to seek family health history about include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cancers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The age at which a person might need to start screening for colon cancer or breast cancer can depend on family history and personal risk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart attacks or stroke:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These metabolic and cardiovascular conditions may be<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> inherited, but multifactorial. Meaning, multiple factors have to &#8220;work together&#8221; to cause disease, says <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shealy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Depression, anxiety, and addiction:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Behavioral health can also have genetic determining factors and help in planning future health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Huntington disease and Alzheimer\u2019s disease:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Early onset of neurological conditions is particularly important in predicting genetic risks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Autoimmune disorders: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thyroid disease, lupus, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and more can be hereditary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>RELATED: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/conditions-treatments\"><b>Learn more about these health conditions here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-find-your-family-health-history\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to find your family health history<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some families tend to have a \u201cfamily historian,\u201d which is a good place to start, says Shealy. Beyond that, the short answer is that you\u2019re going to have to ask some questions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.osu.edu\/find-faculty\/clinical\/internal-medicine\/robert-pilarski-ms-lgc-msw-lsw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robert Pilarski<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a licensed genetic counselor at Wexner Medical Center says, \u201cAsking these questions is all for an important end. And the more we can normalize these conversations, the better.\u201d<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.osu.edu\/find-faculty\/clinical\/internal-medicine\/robert-pilarski-ms-lgc-msw-lsw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"when-to-ask\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When to ask<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pilarski suggests starting to talk about family health histories sooner than later. As time goes on, family members may pass away and information may be lost. In a year when COVID-19 has many of us focused on our own health risks, it\u2019s a highly relevant time to connect with family and work together to increase control over our health in a meaningful way, adds<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montefiore.org\/body_mobile.cfm?id=1743&amp;action=detail&amp;ref=18548\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anna Flattau<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, MD, Director of Strategic Development, Department of Family &amp; Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center.<\/span><b><i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pediatricians can start collecting this information for newborns and update the history with each visit as the child grows older. For new children, adolescent, or adult patients, providers should collect a comprehensive family medical history at the first visit. Providers can use support staff, written surveys, computer surveys, or interviews to obtain this information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"who-to-ask\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who to ask<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When seeking out family health history, include your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and children. \u201cThe people closest to you are probably the best indicator, but if you have two cousins who encounter the same disease, it might be a piece of information to pay attention to,\u201d Pilarski adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\t\t<div class=\"singlecare-dynamic-newsletter-wrapper sin-newsletter-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"heading\">Get our wellness newsletter<\/span>\n\t\t\t<form class=\"form-wrapper\" data-newsletter-form=\"1\" data-subsource=\"Wellness Newsletter\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"input-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<label for=\"dynamic-email\">Email<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"email\" id=\"dynamic-email\" class=\"email\" required>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"input-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"submit-form-btn\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Click to sign up\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"success-message\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"how-to-ask\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to ask<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind that some families will be more open than others and willing to discuss the topic at the dinner table, while some may prefer more private interactions, even via a letter or email in some cases, says Shealy.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Strike a balance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yes, you\u2019re seeking out for your own genetic risk factors, but you\u2019re also asking about personal health information from people who may have a lot of emotions about their own health history, so bear that in mind. \u201cA lot of past suffering or fear is tied up in health issues,\u201d Flattau says.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Be transparent:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Telling people that your doctor wanted you to ask some questions about family health history is a good way to remind people that it\u2019s for an important cause and help it feel less like prying, says Pilarski.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Explain why it\u2019s important:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Whether you\u2019re trying to make sure that you stay healthy in the future so that you can care for your children or simply live a better, longer life, sharing why you\u2019re seeking this information can provide context.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Give people space:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Be respectful of how much information family members are willing to share in the moment, and understand that they may need to come back to the subject.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Consider your own reactions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It\u2019s not uncommon to have traumatic memories of relatives and be afraid to think of the condition in your own life, notes Flattau.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, you can improve your own outcomes by talking about those risks with your primary care provider and making a plan.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"what-to-ask\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to ask<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to who you should ask, it\u2019s important to know what to ask. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ama-assn.org\/delivering-care\/precision-medicine\/collecting-family-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a good starting guide:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What chronic illnesses have family members had, especially those that require medication, surgery, or ongoing management?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Has anyone in the family had any types of cancers?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who has passed away, and what was their cause of death? Death records can help in the case of missing or forgotten information, says Pilarski.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What was the age of diagnosis?<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having an illness develop earlier in life implies a stronger risk than if the same illness occurs in older age, says Flattau.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-keep-records\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to keep records<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flattau recommends keeping track of family health histories with a family tree, which allows multiple people in the family to reference the same document with ease. The visual nature also helps providers see several generations at once and assess patterns as well as the degree of relationship. Finally, a family tree gives a sense of how large a family is, which helps to understand the frequency at which conditions have occurred.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/family-health-history\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the U.S. Surgeon General offer some excellent resources for collecting and recording family medical histories. You can create a family health portrait using the Surgeon General\u2019s<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/phgkb.cdc.gov\/FHH\/html\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">website.<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or use this<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marchofdimes.org\/family-health-history-form.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">form<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the March of Dimes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-bottom-line-knowing-your-family-health-history-is-important\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bottom line\u2014knowing your family health history is important<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Family histories are an incredibly actionable way to improve your future health, so taking the time to compile one is an important task. \u201cYou can\u2019t change your genetic risk\u2014that\u2019s already inside you\u2014but you can use the information to prioritize for your own health,\u201d Flattau says.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The fourth Thursday in November brings to mind family feasts, turkey trots, and pumpkin pies\u2014but another special day actually falls on the same date: National Family Health History Day. Deliberately scheduled on a day when you\u2019re traditionally with family, the holiday seeks to raise awareness for the importance of knowing health information about those who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":16602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8029],"tags":[790],"coauthors":[12463],"class_list":["post-17127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-education","tag-chronic-disease","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why is family health history important?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For National Family Health History Day, find out what health conditions you may be high risk for\u2014with a simple 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