Your family history includes health information about you and your close relatives. Family history is an important risk factor for problems like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease. The reason a family history can help predict risk is that families share their genes, as well as other factors that affect health, like environment, lifestyles and habits.
Having a family member with a disease raises your risk, but it does not mean that you will definitely get it. Realizing that you are at risk gives you a chance to reduce that risk by following a healthier lifestyle and getting tested as needed.
You can get started by talking to your relatives about their health. Draw a family tree and add the health information. Having copies of medical records and death certificates is also helpful.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Family Health History: FAQs(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://www.hhs.gov/faq/diseases/familyhealthhistory/index.html
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My Family Health Portrait: The Surgeon General's Family History Initiative(Surgeon General) - Links to PDF - http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/downloads/MyFamilyHealthPortrait--English.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/downloads/MyFamilyHealthPortrait--Spanish.pdf
- Why Is It Important to Know My Family Medical History?(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/inheritance/familyhistory
- Does It Run in the Family? A Guide to Family Health History(Health Resources and Services Administration, Genetic Alliance) - Large PDF file - http://www.geneticalliance.org/ksc_assets/pdfs/lg_bk_FHHT.pdf
- Family History(American Medical Association) - http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2380.html
- Family History: Resources and Tools(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/public/famhist.htm
- Medical History: How to Compile Your Medical Family Tree(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/medical-history/HQ01707/METHOD=print
- Moms with Alzheimer's May Pass on Risk to Kids(07/30/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67568.html
- Family History May Add to Alzheimer's Puzzle(07/30/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67519.html
- Preconception/Prenatal Family History Questionnaire(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://www.marchofdimes.com/files/GYP_PrenatalQuestionnaire.pdf
- To Draw Your Family Tree(National Society of Genetic Counselors) - http://www.nsgc.org/consumer/familytree/tree_images.cfm
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My Family Health Portrait(Surgeon General) - https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://familyhistory.hhs.gov/spanish/
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Medical History Taking(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Medical+History+Taking%22
- Article: Family matters in mammography screening among African-American women age >... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18507203&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Collection and use of cancer family history in primary care. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18457477&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Consideration of psychosocial factors in the evaluation of living donors. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18429581&tool=MedlinePlus
- Family History -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=((family[mh:noexp]+OR+family+characteristics[mh:noexp]+OR+family+health[mh])+AND+medical+history+taking[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- National Human Genome Research Institute - http://www.genome.gov/
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
- National Office of Public Health Genomics(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/
- Genetic Discrimination Nondiscrimination Act of 2008(National Human Genome Research Institute) - http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10002328
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Knowing Your Child's Medical History(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/medhist.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/medhist_esp.html
- Obtaining Background Information on Your Prospective Adopted Child(Children's Bureau) - http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_background.cfm
- Genetic Counseling - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticcounseling.html
- Genetic Testing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genetictesting.html
- Healthy Living - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthyliving.html
- Personal Medical Records - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/personalmedicalrecords.html
- Genetics/Birth Defects - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html
- Wellness and Lifestyle - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wellnessandlifestyle.html