Beginning in 2004, the Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be Family Health History Day. As families gather for the holiday, it is suggested they talk about and document health problems that seem to run in their families. Learning about your family health history may help you and your family have longer and healthier futures.
A family health history should include health history for children, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great grandparents, great aunts and great uncles. The health histories should include diseases and conditions of affected family members, their ages at the time of diagnosis, and the age and cause of death for deceased members.
An estimated 20% of women with family histories of breast and ovarian cancer might have mutations in the BRCA gene. Documenting family health histories and sharing those with your healthcare providers can help identify those persons at higher-than- average-risk for developing these cancers. Knowing about an increased cancer risk allows the individual, along with their healthcare provider, to take proactive steps to reduce those cancer risks and increase cancer surveillance.
This Thanksgiving, the CDC encourages everyone discuss their family histories of cancer and other diseases. The following link is a resource from the US Surgeon General’s office to help facilitate these conversations: http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/familyhistory/start/startenglish.pdf.
The Hereditary Care Center Family History Tool and Hereditary Cancer Quiz can help you determine whether genetic counseling should be your next step.
Genetic answers empower patients to take charge of their health and the health of their families.
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