There are many benefits of knowing the health history of your family. Many diseases and disorders can be passed down from generation to generation, which means you can inherit them from your parents or grandparents. In addition, there are many conditions which people can be susceptible to – such as heart disease – if it is already present in your family tree. Getting a full family health history is therefore a sensible way to keep yourself healthy by understanding any potential future illnesses.
Talking to Relatives
The first thing you should do is to talk to your relatives about their personal health. The best people to start with are your parents and grandparents, but if you aren’t able to speak to these people then talking to other family members may also help. They might suffer with conditions themselves, or they might have more knowledge about conditions or illnesses further up the family.
Illustration depicting the effects of high blood pressure
Source by : wikimedia
In certain circumstances it is possible to apply for the medical records of a deceased person. To do so you will need to apply to the NHS record holder, and to have a good reason for doing so. However, getting a full family history for health reasons is usually a decent justification for releasing this sort of information.
DNA Screening
DNA screening is a popular way to dig further into your family’s health history and find more about any previously unknown conditions or diseases which may affect you or your children. DNA screening isn’t just carried out by health providers – it’s also now possible to get DNA screening from a number of different independent providers. The more you understand about your DNA, the more you will understand about not only your health at the present time, but also any future conditions you might develop. If you want to learn more about DNA and how screening can benefit you, the IBDNA has plenty of information on their web page.
Family History for Insurance
Insurance underwriters are becoming increasingly interested in the family medical histories of the individuals they insure. This is because inheritable conditions or genetic predispositions which aren’t currently showing in the individual may become present later and therefore affect insurance payouts.
Lifestyle choices are also taken into account when assessing a person’s family history for insurance reasons. For example, if a person has a family history of high blood pressure or lung cancer, and they themselves are a smoker, this will affect their premiums. To learn more about how your family’s medical history will affect your insurance, it’s best to speak to a competent insurance provider.
