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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:
Some family histories are stronger than others. How strong a family history is depends on:
Current as of: April 4, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Rakesh K. Pai MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology & Brian D. O'Brien MD - Internal Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine & Robert A. Kloner MD, PhD - Cardiology & Siobhan M. Dolan MD, MPH - Reproductive Genetics
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