Your Family Health History
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We grow up knowing that we share much of ourselves with our parents: Our height. Our eyes. Our hair. Beyond physical features, however, we also share many critical health factors that can have an impact on our well-being. Assessing our patients' family health history is an invaluable factor in providing world-class care.
Why is Family Health History so Important?
We share genes with not just our parents but our grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and other family members. Because genetic dispositions play such a critical role in determining our long-term health, having a perspective on a patient's relatives' health can help doctors determine preventative care and provide greater insight into important risk factors for the patient.
These are just a few of the factors we look for in patient's family health history:
- High blood pressure or cholesterol
- Cancer
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer's disease (or dementia)
- Depression (and other mental health issues)