DISCOVERING YOUR FAMILY’S MEDICAL TREE

By finding out about your family’s medical history you can help guard your own health and well-being. Having this

knowledge may allow you to take steps to stay as healthy as possible. If you ever do become ill, you and your doctor

 may be able to diagnose problems earlier, when treatment is often more effective. This can be done by

constructing a family medical tree.

Collecting Your Knowledge

First, create a “family medical tree” (see drawing) where you can write down the information you will collect.

You can design your own family tree, or you can check your local bookstore, software store, or the Internet

for creative ideas. Then, fill in your family tree with family members whom you already know. Include the basics

such as: name, birth date, current age, names of children, any medical conditions, and the age when the

condition began. If you do not know the name of the medical condition, you should write down the symptoms that

your relative had—you may be able to find out more details later. If your relative is no longer living, include the relative’s

cause and date of death. Interview your blood relatives who are closest to you, such as your parents, siblings,

grandparents, aunts, or uncles to add their information to your family tree. See if they can help you add information

on other relatives. Be sure to ask about any lifestyle factors that may influence your relatives’ health, such as diet,

physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and workplace hazards. These other factors, rather than their genes, may

have been the cause of some health problems or could have even prevented some health problems. Include the ethnic

background of your family members, since certain medical conditions may be more common in specific populations.

 After gathering your family history, you may find gaps in the information. It may be necessary to try to find medical r

ecords or death certificates to sort out the information. Death certificates, which are available at county courthouses,

can be useful, but unfortunately they only list the immediate cause of death, and do not include information on underlying

medical problems that a person had. Your health care provider can help you determine if getting the information

is important, and can help you track down the medical records you need.

Using Your Knowledge once you’ve gathered your family health history, look for patterns. In general, the more relatives

who have had a particular condition, the greater the chances that it could be genetic in your family. Also, look at the

ages when your relatives were diagnosed to see if they developed the condition at younger ages than typical for that

condition. Such a trend could indicate that your relatives were more genetically susceptible to developing the condition.

Keep in mind that the health history of your close relatives, such as your siblings and parents, is more relevant to

you than the health history of more distant relatives, such as your cousins or great grandparents. After identifying

health patterns in your family history, it will be helpful to share them with your health care provider to get a qualified medical opinion. You may be able to get some advice on routine medical tests, genetic counseling options, and changes to your

lifestyle that could help you stay healthy. Although cancer can be inherited in families, usually it is not. In fact,

only 5- 10% of all cancers are thought to be caused by inherited genes. Most of the time, having a family member

with cancer does not mean others are at significantly increased risk. However, if several blood relatives have had

the same type of cancer or they have been diagnosed at young ages, you or other family members may wish to

ask a health care provider about early-detection strategies that can help find cancer when its most treatable.