Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/915948
The Medical Value of a You can probably recall many of your family members' full names and favorite foods, but do you know anything about their medical history? After all, this is knowledge that may save your life or that of a loved one. JUST AS PHYSICAL TRAITS such as eye color and a cleft chin are inherited, your likelihood of developing certain conditions and health problems can also be traced from one generation to the next. Understanding the health history of your grandparents, parents and siblings can impact your life, and also that of your children and grandchildren. "You can't change your genes—at least, not yet—but you can choose behaviors that may reduce your risk for developing certain diseases," says Parvin Zawahir, M.D., internist at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. "For example, a woman with a family history of breast cancer may want to begin mammography screenings at an earlier age. With some cancers, the earlier in the disease process that a diagnosis is made, the more effective the treatment tends to be." That is why some doctors request your family medical history. The more information they have, the better equipped they will be to care for you by recommending appropriate screenings for and recognizing symptoms of diseases that may have an inherited component. HAVING THE TALK You may not think to ask, or you may feel awkward asking your family members about their medical history, but the simplest way to gain the information is to talk with your relatives about their health. Speak with grandparents, parents and siblings to ask what medical problems they have had, what age they were when diagnosed, the type of treatment that they had and the outcome of their treatment. Use a family gathering as an opportunity to bring up the topic and either videotape their responses or jot down notes regarding their answers. J U D G I N G B Y Y O U R G E N E S If documents like death certificates are unavailable or not helpful, or if you were adopted, or your family members are no longer living or accessible, a family medical history can be challenging to piece together. A genetic testing and counseling program may offer a solution for some people in this situation. Through blood tests, such programs provide assessment for pre-pregnancy screenings, inherited risk of genetic disorders like sickle cell disease (hemoglobin disorders that affect the red blood cells) and genetic factors that may increase the risk for Family Tree WINTER 2018 W W W.N Y P.O RG / BRO OKLY N 8 T H E R I G H T C H O I C E S