Collecting a family history

 

  1. Drawing a pedigree is a method of documenting family history information, genetic relationships and
    medical information. For a guide to drawing pedigrees, see Drawing a pedigree.
  2. A three-generation family history should be collected, where possible, including first-degree (1°) relatives
    (children, siblings, parents) and second-degree (2°) relatives (aunts, uncles and grandparents).
  3. Information collected should include the age at diagnosis of any medical conditions in the family.
  4. The medical information collected will depend to some extent on the condition or concerns of the individual.
  5. Some common health problems you may wish to explore:

 

Birth defects
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Cancer
Chromosome conditions
(eg Down syndrome)
Clotting and bleeding disorders
Cystic fibrosis
Diabetes See Diabetes
Haemochromatosis See Hereditary haemochromatosis
Heart disease
Hyperlipidaemia		 See Cardiovascular conditions
Learning disability See Fragile X syndrome and other causes
of developmental delay
Neurological disorders
(eg Huntington disease)		 See Neurological conditions, Psychiatric conditions and Neurofibromatosis
Thalassaemia
Sickle cell anaemia		 See Haemoglobinopathies

 

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