Americans are urged to know their family medical histories -- and to share them with their doctors. Spearheaded by the U.S. surgeon general's office and other public and private agencies, this urging is critical -- because knowledge of family history can lead to more frequent and earlier screenings for particular cancers, to changes in diet and exercise to combat onset of heart disease and diabetes, to more formal genetic counseling and testing if warranted.
This Thanksgiving marked the third anniversary of Thanksgiving National Family History Day, a day the surgeon general's office has reserved for family discussion and documentation of medical histories.
"Family history itself is the first and best genetic test," says Sharon Terry, president of Genetic Alliance, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C.
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has started a work-place initiative regarding medical family history. In the past year, about half of the 13,000 employees -- from physicians to file clerks -- have completed the computerized family history forms developed by the surgeon general's office.
Acting surgeon general Kenneth Moritsugu says, "knowing your family history can help you make better health choices. Much of what we do in American health care is treat chronic diseases, many of which involve choices over a lifetime."
1. When we think of our family medical history, we often just look to our parents. But this isn't far enough.
I'm reminded of a conversation I had recently with a man who shares the same condition as me - retinoblastoma, or eye cancer. He had two children neither of whom developed the disease. (Retinoblastoma is a hereditary condition and there is a 50% chance of passing it on, and the gene is dominant). But he and his family got a rude awakening when a grandchild was born with the condition. The gene had jumped a generation.
This is a wake up call to us all. We need to look right back in our families and inform our doctors of any cancers, no matter how far back they go.
As an adopted child, this creates a dilemma for me. I know that neither of my birth parents had the condition, and probably, I am the start of the chain. But what if one of my half siblings is carrying the gene? As I don't have contact with any of my birth family, this is not an easy issue to resolve.
But thank you for a timely reminder, Jacki.
Posted at 9:46AM on Dec 4th 2006 by Janet Shaw