These things can affect health and the risk for illness, so it’s important to understand your family health history. Family health history is a record of the health conditions in your family. It tells more than just what diseases run in your family, but includes information about where your family has lived and what kind of work and activities they do.
This can help you see where you and your family face risks to your health. Your healthcare provider can help you understand these risks and suggest the steps to prevent disease or make it less harmful.
Some people may be more willing to share health information face to face. Others may prefer answering your questions by phone, mail, or e-mail. However you do it, it is important that you explain why you are asking the questions.
Let your family members know that you are creating a record to find out whether you and your relatives have a family history of certain diseases or health conditions.
Feel free to add your own questions that are specific to your own family.
Some people may be willing to answer only some of your questions, or ask that you keep some answers between you and your healthcare provider – and that’s okay! Collect the information you can, and respect your relatives’ wishes.
Some genes passed down in a family can increase the chance of getting certain health conditions. You can find out if you are at risk for these diseases that run in families by examining the pattern of disease in your family. Inherited diseases show up in distinct patterns:
Family members share genes, habits, lifestyles, and surroundings.
Do you have the same eye and hair color as many of your family members?
Genetics helps explain what makes you unique, why family members look alike, and why some diseases run in families.
Many conditions are caused by one or more genes that do not work correctly in the body.