Are there studies that support the link between disease prevention and heredity?
Dr. Clancy: This link has been examined most often when someone belongs to a family with unusual patterns of disease, such as a rare genetic disorder, like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia. A recent study funded by AHRQ looks at illnesses that are more common within the population, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The goal of the study was to determine the accuracy of tools now used by doctors to assess family history and predict the risk of cancer. One of the findings of the study was that more research is needed in order for us to realize all of the potential benefits of using family history to predict risk. Rand: Are there actions that individuals themselves can engage in to help with this? Dr. Clancy: I would say that one clear choice would be for all of us to document our family health histories. A good product to use for doing this is the Surgeon General’s Family Heath History Tool. This Internet-based tool was updated recently to make it more user-fri
