Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 8, 1994 TAG: 9411080086
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANGELA CAIN KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: TALLAHASSEE, FLA. LENGTH: Long
She always filled out the section marked ``family medical history'' until the day when she realized the information was useless.
Although she always knew she was adopted, Young didn't consider that her adoptive parents' medical history wasn't what the doctor ordered.
Like Young, many people - whether they're adopted or not - know little about their medical family tree. But knowing the health of your relatives could have a major impact on your future health, says Dr. Nancy VanVessem, a Tallahassee internist.
Prospective parents with family histories of hereditary childhood disorders have always been warned about passing their genes along to their children. Disorders such as sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome and muscular dystrophy can be genetically linked.
But now medical experts say that many serious illnesses that affect adults, including cancer (particularly breast, ovarian and colon), diabetes and heart disease, also have strong genetic ties. Depression and alcoholism also tend to run in families.
``I think the impact of genetics on future health is just now being recognized,'' says VanVessem. ``And it makes sense. A lot of preventive health measures need to be tailored to meet the needs of an individual patient, depending on that person's family medical history.''
Dr. Karl Hempel agrees. The Tallahassee family physician encourages his patients with family histories of medical problems to get screened early for any potential health risks.
If someone in your family is diagnosed with colon cancer, for example, you might need to have frequent colon tests and switch to a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Or if you have breast cancer in your family, monthly breast self-exams and regularly scheduled mammograms would be a top priority. And learning of a history of hardening of the arteries might prompt a person to quit smoking.
Tallahassee cardiologist David Smith says that patients should be concerned about genetic links to an illness or disease, but adds that many medical problems that run in families can be attributed to more than genetics.
``Just because you have the genetics doesn't mean that you're fated to have the same medical condition,'' Smith says. ``Sometimes it's the habits you pick up from your family that contribute to your chances of having the same thing, including the way we prepare meals, how much we eat and whether or not we smoke. It's genetics plus these risk factors."
Here's how to compile your own medical family tree:
Research your heritage. Make a list of every family member, including grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and children. Ask your relatives about the major illnesses or diseases that have occurred in your family. Be sure to find out the age of onset of illness, cause of death and age at death.
``One of the best ways to do this is to sit down with your family members when you're all together for a holiday or reunion and do a medical family tree,'' VanVessem says. ``When everyone is together, you can pool your knowledge and get a better idea of your family's health.''
Pay special attention to first-degree relatives (parents, children and siblings), particularly when someone in the family was diagnosed before the age of 50 with an illness or disease, Smith says. Early onset of health problems often has a direct correlation with genetics.
When a disease affects more than one first-degree relatives, there is even more reason for concern. But don't dismiss a pattern of illness among any family members, including second-degree relatives (aunts, uncles and grandparents.)
Gather and save medical records. The more details you can gather about a family illness, the better. With a deceased relative who had heart disease, for example, it is useful for a doctor to know if the person also smoked or had high cholesterol or blood pressure.
Act on your findings. If your medical family tree proves to be rooted in illness or disease, get screened early for potential problems and make lifestyle changes accordingly.
But for adoptees like Young, not knowing what medical problems existed in her birth parents' families made her unaware of what preventive measures she might need to take. That's why she started the search for her birth mother seven years ago after her adoptive parents passed away.
For adoptees looking for medical history, Young recommends the following:
First contact the adoption agency. Agencies typically have some medical history on at least the birth mother.
Contact adoption registries on a national or state level. The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services keeps adoption records that often include medical information.
Young had a reunion with her birth mother on Thanksgiving 1987.
``When I talked to her the first time, a lot of my questions were medical,'' she said. ``Was there cancer in my family? What did family members die of?'' Young learned that her mother's family had a history of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Her mother had triple bypass surgery in her early 50s. Knowing this information gave Young the opportunity to change some of her poor eating habits and add exercise to her daily routine.
by CNB