Facts on File Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

APPENDIX IX

FAMILY MEDICAL TREE

A family medical tree can help your doctor deter-
mine inherited and genetic health risks. Optimally
a family medical tree includes information about
the causes of death and significant medical condi-
tions for as many family generations as possible.
The most significant health information is that for
first-degree relatives (siblings, parents, and chil-
dren) and second-degree relatives (nephews,
nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents).
Some health information may be vague or use
antiquated terminology (for example, consump-
tion to identify tuberculosis or dropsy to identify
congestive heart failure).
It is especially important to know the cause of
death whenever possible, as this provides clues to
underlying health conditions. For deaths occur-
ring within the past few decades, this information
appears on the death certificate. Other useful
information includes any history of

• HEART disease, such as STROKE, HEART ATTACK
  (MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION), sudden (or unex-
  plained) cardiac death, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, ARTE-
  RIOSCLEROSIS, CARDIOMYOPATHY(enlarged heart),
  congestive HEART FAILURE, PERIPHERAL VASCULAR
  DISEASE(PVD), DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS(DVT),INTER-
  MITTENT CLAUDICATION, LONG QT SYNDROME(LQTS),
  and ARRHYTHMIA


• congenital heart defects or disorders, including
  treatments (such as surgery) to repair or treat
  them


• CANCER, especially BREAST CANCER, COLORECTAL
  CANCER, OVARIAN CANCER, PROSTATE CANCER, and
  childhood cancers such as LEUKEMIAor WILMS’S
  TUMOR
  
  
  • neurologic disorders such as ALZHEIMER’S DIS-
    EASE, HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE, and PARKINSON’S DIS-
    EASE
  
  
  • known GENETIC DISORDERSor CHROMOSOMAL DIS-
    ORDERS such as HEMOPHILIA, DOWN SYNDROME,
    TURNER’S SYNDROME, KLINEFELTER’S SYNDROME, or
    generalizedBIRTH DEFECTS
  
  
  • SEASONAL ALLERGIES, allergies to medications or
    foods, ASTHMA, or MIGRAINE HEADACHE
  
  
  • INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE(IBD), SYTEMIC LUPUS
    ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE), HYPOTHYROIDISM, type 1
    DIABETES, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, or other AUTOIM-
    MUNE DISORDERS
  
  
  • INFERTILITY, PREMATURE OVARIAN FAILURE(POF), MIS-
    CARRIAGE (spontaneous ABORTION), STILLBIRTH,
    breech presentation, or other difficulties with
    PREGNANCYand CHILDBIRTH
  
  
  • type 2 DIABETES, OBESITY, or INSULIN RESISTANCE
  
  
  • DEPRESSION, GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER(GAD),
    BIPOLAR DISORDER, SCHIZOPHRENIA, SEASONAL AFFEC-
    TIVE DISORDER (SAD), LEARNING DISORDERS, or
    intellectual deficiency (mental retardation)
  
  
  
  


• ALCOHOLISM, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, or CIGARETTE
  SMOKING
  
  
  • HEMOCHROMATOSIS, WILSON’S DISEASE, PHENYLKE-
    TONURIA(PKU), and other disorders of METABO-
    LISM
  
  
  • MUSCULAR DYSTROPHYorCYSTIC FIBROSIS
  
  
  
  

A family history of health conditions does not

necessarily point to a personal history with the

same conditions. However, it provides important

clues about a person’s possible predilection for

such conditions. The most accurate method to

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