Know Your Family Health History, and Put It To Good Use!

          

             One of the most important things you can do to ensure your continued good health is to be well-informed about any genetic predisposition your family might have to specific diseases. Once you know what diseases have been seen in your family in the past, you’ll be able to take steps to reduce your risk for these diseases.

It now seems that genetic factors play an important role in many of the most common diseases. Everything from heart disease and diabetes to multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s seem to have some genetic component. It also appears that the human body developed some genetic variations that today cause disease but that long ago were protective mechanisms—sickle-cell anemia, for example.

In sickle-cell anemia, the body manufactures abnormal red blood cells. Instead of being round, the cells are long and sickle-shaped. Red blood cells transport oxygen, but those of sickle shape rupture easily—the loss of too many red blood cells means not enough oxygen gets to the tissues of the body. But the same genetic variation that causes sickle-cell anemia also causes changes in the blood cells that help the body fight malaria. Sickle-cell genes are found primarily in people or descendents of people who live in areas of the world where malaria is a problem. If someone inherits the gene from one parent, they do not manifest sickle-cell anemia but are naturally more resistant to malaria. But

when someone inherits the gene from both parents, sickle-cell anemia is manifest as a disease process. In other words, a genetic predisposition to sickle-cell anemia is also a mechanism that protects the body from malaria.

As research progresses, we may find many more examples of genetic variations that help the body adapt to its environment but that also cause illness. It’s currently thought that people with multiple sclerosis have a genetic predisposition to react to some unknown environmental agent with an a destructive autoimmune response that we call multiple sclerosis. However, the mechanism behind this reaction is still not clear. (Perhaps the rise in cases of autoimmune diseases is a result of the body adapting genetically to an environment that is increasingly toxic.)

It’s important to start your family health history as early as possible, for two reasons. First, it will then be more likely that you’ll be able to speak to at least two or even three of the generations before you. Second, the sooner you begin preventive measures, the better off you’ll be.

Questioning your parents is a good place to start, but don’t stop there. Ask your grandparents and all your extended family members. Don’t forget to ask your siblings—they might have health concerns you’re not yet aware of. It often happens that one

member of the family has more knowledge of everyone’s health than anyone else. Maybe that person has a better memory, or paid more attention to such things, or is in the right age group. For instance, your mom might not be aware that your grandmother’s sister had arthritis, and she may never have met her great-uncle, who had ankylosing spondolytis. But your grandmother might remember both of these facts, if only because she was closer in age to the two people in question. Both conditions are arthritic and may be connected to autoimmune disorders.

Years ago, many of the diseases we know today were not yet named. A relative might remember that all the men in the family had back problems and became stooped as they aged. This is a significant pattern, although it may be that none of those men was ever diagnosed with anything. One person in the family with a back problem may not be significant; but several family members, all of the same sex and all with the same type of problem, becomes a family pattern. It’s important to ask more general questions and look for similarities, especially if you’re hearing that no one in your family ever had a disease.

Ask if anyone in the family was sick a lot, had physical problems, was diagnosed with a disease, or had allergies. Ask how old family members were when they died, and what was the cause of death. Ask if there were any children who did not survive birth or who died early. Find out as much as you can about where your family is from. As we saw with sickle-cell anemia, some genetic patterns originate in specific areas of the globe. While you’re involved in this process, ask about your family’s mental as well as physical health. Some mental-health problems are genetic; it would be good to have a heads-up about the possibility of biochemical brain malfunction.

Once you’ve compiled your family health history, you can start planning to prevent problems. The idea is to eliminate as many risk factors as possible as early in your life as possible. Don’t wait till you’re the third member of your family under 40 to have a heart attack before you change your diet and quit smoking.

Speaking of heart disease: If you have a family history of heart disease, you can start reducing your risk factors by not smoking, improving your cholesterol levels, controlling blood pressure, exercising, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and carefully managing the stress in your life. Will taking some or even all of these preventive measures guarantee that you never have heart disease? No, but it will mean you’ll be much less likely to.

Diabetes is a very common disease. There are two types of diabetes, and each is thought to have a genetic component. Type 2 diabetes is the most common. Currently it’s thought that Type 2 diabetes could be avoided in many cases with early recognition of risk factors and changes in lifestyle. However, it’s now thought that lifestyle factors are not as important for Type 1 diabetes. Still, it won’t hurt to adopt healthier habits, regardless of which type your family seems to manifest. If you know that diabetes runs in your family, then managing your weight, choosing foods carefully, and exercising are all preventive measures that you can and should take.

Take the time to educate yourself about any diseases that may run in your family. Find out what the risk factors and first symptoms are, and eliminate as many risk factors from your life as you can. If at some point you start to manifest the symptoms, see your healthcare provider immediately. Early intervention and careful management of inherited diseases are very important in your plan for lifelong good health.