family history

having a family history means that a person has one or more blood relatives with a certain health problem. a doctor can look at a person's family history to get some idea of the person's risk for that health problem.

blood relatives include relatives who are alive and those who have died. they may be:

first-degree relatives (parents, sisters, brothers, and children).
second-degree relatives (aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandparents).
third-degree relatives (first cousins).

some family histories are stronger than others. how strong a family history is depends on:

how closely related a person is to the relatives with the health problem.
how many relatives had or have the health problem.

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family history

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