Spotting Family Health Risks Could Result in a Life Saving Gift Published Dec. 18, 2007 TRICARE FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- People use genealogy to trace their family trees or to find a specific person in a family's past. Like a family tree, the health history of blood relatives can help primary care managers predict maladies to which you may be at risk. Many experts think that family health history is the best 'genetic test' available. Certainly it is the most readily accessible and cheapest, and there is no time like holiday gatherings to share family history. The United States Surgeon General has even provided a My Family Health Portrait tool at www.surgeongeneral.gov/familyhistory in partnership with other Department of Health and Human Services agencies. For years, health care professionals have known that common diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes and rare diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and cystic fibrosis, can run in families. If one generation of a family has breast cancer, the next is often at a high risk of developing it. TRICARE Management Activity recognizes the importance of knowing family health history and early detection. For instance, TRICARE recently began covering magnetic resonance imaging screening for women in their thirties who have a high risk of developing breast cancer. The American Cancer Society has clear guidelines defining high risk, and family history is a factor in that risk assessment. "We want these women to have every chance to detect any cancer at the earliest possible stages, said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE management activity. "An MRI is an exceptional tool for screening the highest risk women for breast cancer." Beneficiaries with a family history of colorectal cancer may be eligible to have a colonoscopy more frequently and at an earlier age. PCMs need to know health history to reduce the risk of developing this disease. Use the My Family Health Portrait page to help. It is designed to be completed at home and serves as a starting point for a broader discussion of disease screening with health care providers. In addition to providing estimates of inheritable disease risk, a careful family health history can provide insights into family dynamics, shared environmental factors, and patient health concerns. Americans know that family history is important to health. A recent survey found that 96 percent of Americans believe knowing their family health history is important. Yet, the same survey found that only one-third of Americans have ever tried to gather and write down their family's health history. Here are a few tips: - Take the time to complete a family health history, share it with children, grandchildren and siblings. - Print off a copy and take it to the next primary care provider appointment. - Make sure the most accurate and updated family history has been documented in medical records. - Ask about any special screenings because of specific family history.