Many health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, can be inherited, so knowing your family’s medical history can help you take action to lower your risk and improve your chance of getting early, successful treatment. These suggestions can help you gather and use your medical history.

Knowledge Is Power
A family medical history is a record of illnesses among family members. A family history can be used to:

• Decide which medical screening tests you should have
• Determine whether you may benefit from preventive measures to lower your risk for a specific disease

And knowing you’re at risk for certain diseases can encourage you to change unhealthy habits. For example, knowing your father had heart disease and that you’re at increased risk for it can motivate you to eat a low-fat diet, maintain a healthy weight, not smoke, and exercise regularly—steps that can reduce your risk of developing a heart problem.

Get It Together
To get information on your family health history, interview your relatives in person, on the phone, or by e-mail, or send them a survey.

• Ask what major medical conditions each family member has had and, importantly, how old the person was when diagnosed.
• Include questions regarding heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, depression, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects, alcoholism, and mental disorders.
• Gather information on as many generations of relatives as you can, including your parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

As you compile your family history, write it out and share it with your doctor.