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10 Ways Tracking Your Family History Could Improve Your Health

Your family tree may provide important clues to genetic conditions and diseases. Learning about these medical conditions early may help you get proper screenings and adopt healthy lifestyle choices. A little bit of research might help you hold off or maybe even prevent serious diseases.

  1. Early screening of breast cancer and ovarian cancer may help detect the presence of the disease earlier, which may improve outcomes.
  2. Type 1 diabetes and lupus are autoimmune diseases that may be connected in families.
  3. Mental health issues may sometimes be inherited; so if relatives have been diagnosed, be sure to share that with your primary care provider.
  4. Pregnancy complications may also run in families, so women should be aware of potential problems and alert their healthcare providers.
  5. Postmenopausal women with a direct male relative with prostate cancer may be more predisposed to breast cancer.
  6. Cardiovascular events experienced by other relatives might be indicators of similar experiences for others in the family.
  7. Breast cancer patients may have a predisposition to pancreatic cancer due to certain gene mutations.
  8. Alzheimer's disease and heart disease may be connected. A certain gene creates the deposit of cholesterol in arteries and the brain, so it's good to take precautions.
  9. Disease or death of family members at an early age might indicate early onset of the same disease for other relatives.
  10. Screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies are great tools for early detection of cancer. Other tests may identify elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels to help you manage the diseases and stay well.