Family Health History: Why a Doctor Might Ask About It
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Medically reviewed by Kashif J. Piracha, MDMedically reviewed by Kashif J. Piracha, MD
Your family's medical history can help determine your risk of certain conditions, which is why a doctor might ask about it. Family health history is a record of your family members' medical history. This record can include information from your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and cousins.
Family history is a risk factor for many chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and some mental health disorders. A healthcare provider might recommend screening or testing for these conditions based on your risk.
You can gather information by talking to your family. Here's why a healthcare provider may ask about your family's medical history and what questions to ask your family members to learn more.
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Why Is Family Health History Important?
Your family history can help a healthcare provider determine your risk for certain conditions. Family members often have similar genetic backgrounds, environments, and lifestyles. These risk factors can affect your likelihood of developing a disease.
Some diseases that can run in families include:
Alzheimer's disease: This is the most common form of dementia, which impairs behavior, memory, and thinking. People who have a first-degree relative (i.e., parent or sibling) with Alzheimer's have a higher risk of the condition than others. Other risk factors, like high blood pressure and sleep habits, also play a role.
Arthritis: This causes inflammation of the joints, or where two bones meet. There are several types of arthritis, which can be hereditary. Other risk factors can include a broken bone, infection, and normal "wear and tear" on the joints.
Asthma: This respiratory condition causes inflamed, narrowed airways. People who have a parent with asthma are three to six times more likely to develop it.
Breast and ovarian cancer: A BRCA gene mutation increases your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Nearly one in 500 women in the U.S. have a mutation in either their BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Having a parent with a BRCA gene mutation gives you a 50% risk of having that mutation. Colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancer can also be genetically linked to this gene mutation.
Colorectal cancer: The risk of colorectal cancer increases by up to 20-fold for individuals with a family history.
Depression: This mood disorder causes persistent feelings of anger, sadness, or loss for two weeks or more. Research has shown that as many as 40% of depression cases are genetic.
Diabetes: Your risk of diabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling with the condition.
Heart disease: Your family history may contribute to your risk of stroke or heart attack. This risk increases if a relative dies prematurely, before age 65 for women and before 55 for men, of heart disease.
Osteoporosis: Your family history may reveal your likelihood of osteoporosis and hip fractures. Bone density is mainly genetic. Your risk of having osteoporosis may increase if either of your parents previously had a hip fracture.
Skin cancer: Any type of skin cancer can run in families. You are 1.7 times more likely than average to develop melanoma if you have a first-degree relative with the disease. A family history of skin cancer also increases your risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
How To Gather Information
You can collect your family health history by obtaining medical records. You'll want to gather information about your:
Aunts and uncles
Brothers and sisters
Children
Cousins
Grandparents
Nieces and nephews
Parents
Talk to Your Family
If possible, you can talk to family members to get an idea of your family health history. If you feel safe and comfortable, talk to your family members at a family gathering where several may be present. You can also inquire about others who aren't there.
Ask about any conditions they have or that they know family members who have passed away had. Keep in mind that health history can be a sensitive topic. Don't pry if a family member doesn't want to share information.
Questions To Ask
Here are some important questions to keep in mind when discussing your family health history:
Do they have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or a mental health disorder?
How old is your family member? If your family member has passed away, at what age did they die?
What age were they when diagnosed with this condition?
What treatments, such as medications, do they use to manage this condition?
What To Do if You're Adopted
There may be ways to collect your family history if you're adopted. If you feel comfortable, you can ask your adoptive parents if they know your birth parents. The adoption agency might also store the health history of your birth parents. Just keep in mind that some states have statutes in place when it comes to this information.
You can discuss other options with a healthcare provider if you're unable to track down your birth parents or don't wish to. They can suggest other screening or testing options to determine your risk of certain conditions.
Do I Need Genetic Testing?
Genetic testing is a method of detecting genes, chromosomes, or proteins that may affect your risk of certain diseases. A genetic test can eliminate uncertainty and allow you to make decisions about your health.
Keep in mind that genetic testing can also cause anxiety, depression, and guilt. These tests can also be costly. It's important to discuss the pros and cons of genetic testing with a healthcare provider, such as a genetic counselor. They can help you figure out whether you need genetic testing.
How To Make a Family Health History Record
You can organize your family health history after you obtain as much information as you can. A document allows you to easily access this information and share it with a healthcare provider. Try making a table with each family member, their relation to you, and relevant health information.
The Surgeon General also provides a tool called My Family Health Portrait. This tool can help you store your family health history online.
Take Action
You can make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of certain diseases. It's important to eat a healthy diet that's rich in nutrients, limit alcohol, stay physically active, and quit smoking.
Screening tests can detect early markers of disease. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to screening for certain diseases:
Ask about regular screenings for colorectal cancer: Receive screenings earlier than 45 if you have an immediate family member who was previously diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Get your blood sugar levels checked regularly: The CDC recommends getting a baseline A1C test at 45.
Have a bone density screening: Talk to a healthcare provider if you're a woman aged 65 or older. You may want to go earlier, at menopause, if you're in a high-risk family.
Regularly perform skin checks: Consult a dermatologist if you notice any changes. Be vigilant about sun safety by wearing broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 daily.
Start getting screening mammograms: You may need to start 10 years earlier than the youngest age at which a first-degree relative was diagnosed if you have a family history of breast cancer.
Take digestive symptoms seriously: Bring up symptoms, such as blood in the stool, with a healthcare provider.
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A Quick Review
Knowing your family's health history can be a meaningful tool for reducing your risk of some diseases. However, just because a relative has a particular disease doesn't mean you'll also definitely develop it.
Your family has a similar genetic makeup. Knowing how certain diseases affect your parents, siblings, children, and extended family members can be helpful. These details help healthcare providers make informed decisions about your health and how often to screen you for specific illnesses.
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