Family health history is a record of the diseases and health conditions in your family. Most people have family history of at least one chronic disease that makes them more likely to get that disease.(1)

Staying informed of your family’s health history can help you and your doctor prepare for and prevent diseases you are more likely to get and that can affect you later in life.

Do your research

Be informed of your family health and medical histories before your next doctor’s appointment. Even if you don’t know all your health history information, share what you do know.

Collect family health history information through conversations with blood relatives. The most important relatives to talk to are your parents, siblings, and your children. Next, you may want to talk to grandparents, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, and half-brothers and half-sisters. Ask them questions like:

Do you have any medical conditions, including chronic diseases, such as diabetes, or health conditions, such as high blood pressure?
Have you had any other serious diseases, such as cancer or stroke?
How old were you when each of these diseases and health conditions was diagnosed?
What is our family’s ancestry – from what countries did our ancestors come to the United States?
For relatives who have died, be sure to ask about the cause and their age of death.(2)

Try to gather the following information for each person:

Sex assigned at birth
Date of birth
Ethnicity/Ancestry
Medical conditions
Mental health conditions, including alcoholism or other substance abuse
Pregnancy complications
Age when each condition was diagnosed
Lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise, and tobacco use
For relatives who have died, age at death and cause of death(3)

You might find it useful to look at important family paperwork and vital records. Birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates are usually available through state and county government offices. Electronic personal health records are a good resource, too.

Use whatever information you collect to create a family health history.

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