Knowing your health history can bring more peace of mind now and in the future.
Maintaining good health is an ongoing process, and looking at the health experiences of your closest relatives can sometimes provide important clues about your family’s risk factors. Seth Wilhelm, MD, a family medicine doctor at Northwest Physician Group, explains why learning more about your family’s medical history is important, and how sharing this information with your primary care doctor can help you.
What should my family health history include?
Ideally, you should gather information about three generations of relatives. This includes biological children, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles. Record what health issues they have faced and at what age their medical conditions started. Also consider how their lifestyle might have impacted their health.
If my mother or grandmother had a particular health condition, will I have it, too?
Not necessarily. Family health histories are not a foolproof way of telling whether you will or won’t have certain health issues. But they can provide insight and sometimes identify increased risks for conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. You can also learn about risk of certain genetic conditions.
How can this help my family and me?
Based on your family’s health history, your doctor may recommend certain proactive measures to slow or even prevent some health issues from occurring. For example, if one of your parents had a heart attack or high blood pressure, especially at a young age, your doctor may recommend extra health screenings or certain lifestyle changes. The end result can be better health and more peace of mind for you and your whole family.
How should I get this information?
If you are aware of some family members having health issues, you can check with them to see if there is any prior history. Sometimes this can be a sensitive subject, but everybody benefits by sharing.
How can sharing this information with my primary care doctor help me?
The primary care doctor is trained to look at the total picture and to understand the needs of the patient as a whole. Since most people typically see their primary care doctor regularly, they get to better know the patient, and can help make the most personalized choices possible for that patient. They can also help the patient navigate the path of specialty care if it is needed. Ultimately, they are there to help ensure the patient receives appropriate care in a timely manner. In addition, as patients grow older and healthcare needs change, the primary care doctor can redirect care when necessary.
Primary care doctors work with their patients to help with weight loss, smoking cessation, managing common conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. They are also there to care for you with acute health issues like respiratory infections, urinary infections, headaches, and more.