If you've been to the doctor for a checkup, chances are they asked about your family health history, and for good reason. Family members often share factors that can affect health, such as genes, environments, and habits. If you have relatives with certain medical conditions, you may also have a higher-than-usual chance of developing one of those conditions.
While your family history contains important clues about your health, it can also be subjective or difficult to trace. Fortunately, there's another way to learn about your inherited health risks: a medical genetic test.
How can I learn about my family history?
The first step is to talk to your immediate family members. Your grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews may have helpful information. If you don't have any living relatives who can help, or if you're not comfortable asking family members about your health, you can look at family medical records or death certificates, which may contain clues.
If possible, gather information about any significant medical conditions, the age of onset, and, for deceased relatives, the causes of death in the family. It is also helpful to collect the ethnicity and age of your relatives at the time of death (if applicable). Once you have as much information as possible, share it with your doctor or a healthcare professional. genetic counselor.
I have a family history of cancer or heart disease.
If you have a family history of a condition, it's important to find out if you share any genes that might be linked to it. While you can't change your genetic makeup, there may be things you can do now to help you stay healthy. Depending on your situation, your doctor may recommend changes to your diet or lifestyle, more regular screenings, or preventive treatments and medications.
Estimates suggest that between 5-10 of all cancers are hereditary, with even higher rates for some types of cancer, such as ovarian cancer. ¹
More than 1 in 200 people have an inherited heart disease, but most don't know it. ²
I have no family history of cancer or heart disease.
Even if you have no known family history of any condition, you may have inherited disease-causing genetic variants from healthy family members who haven't developed any signs or symptoms of the disease. One way to get more clarity is to have a medical genetic test, such as one from Zogen's proactive genetic testing.
I don't know my family history
If you don't know your family history due to adoption or other reasons, a medical-grade genetic test can help fill in the gaps in information. These tests can identify if you have any concerning variants in genes such as BRCA1 o BRCA2 that could put you at greater risk of developing cancer or heart disease later in life.
Knowing your risk can help you stay alert to the signs and symptoms of a developing health problem; catching cancer or a heart condition in its early stages can literally save your life.
The Zogen Cancer + Cardio Check test examines a wide range of genes to detect cancer, heart disease, and other conditions, all with a saliva kit delivered directly to your home. Learn more about Cardio + Cancer Check here.
