Claxton-Hepburn

history lesson When it comes TO understanding your personal risk for developing certain health conditions, digging into your family's medical history can reveal important, lifesaving information. Many life-altering conditions—such as Type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high cholesterol, breast and ovarian cancers, and prostate cancer—can be genetically passed from one blood relative to the next. Similar to an old family photo album or treasured mementos handed down from one generation to the next, your family's medical health history provides a window to the future of your own well-being. Patients with access to three generations worth of health histories can help their physicians predict health conditions that may be detected early or potentially avoided altogether. "A patient's family medical history is one of the most important factors we look at when assessing his or her risk for developing cancer," says Kay Zimmer, LMSW, breast patient navigator at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center's Richard E. Winter Cancer Center. "When a patient comes to our facility, one of the first things we do is gather as much information and details about his or her family's medical history and assess the impact it could potentially have on a patient's current health status." INTO THE FUTURE According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with a close family member, such as a mother or father, with cancer or heart disease are at higher risk for developing these conditions themselves. Recommended screening tests such as mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and colonoscopies, as well as high blood pressure and cholesterol tests, can help detect diseases before the onset of symptoms. For patients with a confirmed family history of illness or risk factors such as obesity or smoking, a healthcare professional may order certain screening tests at an earlier age or more frequently as a preventive measure. "Just because a close relative has cancer does not necessarily mean you will inevitably get it too," Zimmer says. "However, being prepared, knowing your risks, and taking 5 LIVING WELL active measures, such as maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise, helps change the course of your family's history for the better." For more information about gathering your family's health history, visit www.familyhistory.hhs.gov. To find a physician at Claxton-Hepburn who can answer your family health questions, visit www.claxtonhepburn.org or call (888) 908-2462. The Tree of Life In the beginning, gathering and maintaining an accurate record of your family's health information can seem challenging and like a great deal of work. However, much like when tracing your family's roots or constructing a family tree, information you uncover could prove to be a lifesaver for generations to come. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a family's health history should be a comprehensive list of relatives three generations deep and include parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. It is especially important to document all known disorders or cases of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancers, and diabetes. The NIH recommends sharing this information with family members in an effort to lower their risk of possibly developing similar health concerns. www.claxtonhepburn.org

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