Family Medical History and Genealogy
November is the month when most people think about Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. There is another day that has become just as important from a family history perspective. In 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General declared November 23rd as National Family History Day. Although it is overshadowed by Thanksgiving, which falls on the same day, National Family History Day should be just as important to people of all ethnic backgrounds.
Your family medical history, sometimes called a medical family tree, is a record of illnesses and medical conditions affecting your family members down through the generations, along with the relationships among the members of your family. The process begins by interviewing immediate family members, parents, grandparents, and siblings, since they provide the most important links to genetic risk.
A family medical history can reveal the history of disease in your family and enable you to identify patterns that might be relevant to your own health. This knowledge benefits both you and your physician, because together you can:
1. Identify your potential risk of having certain diseases
2. Consider treatments or changes in diet, lifestyle habits, etc. to reduce the risk of disease
3. Identify which diagnostic tests to order
4. Determine the type and frequency of screening tests
5. Determine whether you or family members should get a specific genetic test
6. Identify a condition that might not otherwise be considered
7. Identify other family members who are at risk of developing a certain disease
8. Assess your risk of passing conditions on to your children
How should you go about compiling this type of information? Begin communicating with your family. Consider kicking off the project at a family gathering, such as a holiday or reunion. Keep in mind, however, that some loved ones might be uncomfortable disclosing personal medical information.
If you encounter reluctance from your family, consider these strategies:
1. Explain that you're creating a record to help you determine whether you and your relatives have a family history of certain diseases or health conditions. Offer to make the medical history available to other family members so that they can share the information with their doctors.
2. Provide several ways to answer questions. Some people might be more willing to share health information in a one-on-one conversation. Others might prefer answering your questions by phone, mail or email.
3. Establish a comfortable rapport. As your relatives talk about their health problems, listen without judgment or comment.
4. Keep your questions short and to the point. Be a good listener.
5. Respect privacy. As you collect information about your relatives, respect their right to confidentiality.
You might want to consult family documents, such as existing family trees, baby books, old letters, obituaries or records from places of worship. Vital records, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates, may be available in county record offices. If you or your family members maintain electronic personal health records, use them.
For adoptees, ask your adoptive parents if they received any medical information about your biological parents at the time of your adoption. Adoption agencies also might have family medical information on file. If you were adopted through an open adoption process, you might be able to discuss your family's medical history directly with members of your biological family.
If possible, your family medical history should include at least three generations. Compile information about your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, cousins, children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren. For each person, try to gather the following information:
1. Gender
2. Date and place of birth (be specific in terms of location)
3. Ethnicity
4. Medical conditions
5. Mental health conditions, including alcoholism or other substance abuse
6. Pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects or infertility
7. Age when each condition was diagnosed
8. Lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise and tobacco use
9. For deceased relatives, age at the time of death and cause of death
Pay special attention to conditions that develop earlier than usual, such as high blood pressure in early adulthood, or conditions that affect multiple relatives. Include information about where your mother's and your father's family members came from abroad before coming to America because some health problems occur more often in specific ethnic groups and geographic areas.
Give your doctor a copy of your family medical history and ask him or her to review it with you. Your doctor might ask you questions for clarification and can help you interpret the relevance of certain patterns in your medical history, including the need for preventive measures or screening tests.
If children are born and family members develop illnesses, update your family medical history. Share relevant updates with your doctor. It might take time and effort, but this tool can help improve the health of your family for generations to come.
BLM 11/1/2017