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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK01969}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Can you Inherit Diseases?}
$Subject{Inherit inherited disease Diseases sickness family history histories
risk risks chance chances factor factors gene genes genetic cause causes
illness illnesses thalassemia anemia anemias sickle-cell Tay-Sachs disorder
disorders relative relatives ailment ailments symptom symptoms die died dead
death deaths geneticist geneticists cancer cancers cancerous heart attack
weight diet diets smoker smokers nonsmoker nonsmokers exercise exercises }
$Volume{}
$Log{
Some Types of Anemia are Inherited*0009204.scf
What is Anemia?*0009201.scf}
Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Can you Inherit Diseases?
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QUESTION: You often speak of a family history of a disease as being a risk
factor for someone getting the same disease. Does this mean that all diseases
are inherited? How does one go about finding out what their ancestors have
bequeathed to them? And perhaps a final bit of information, please, once the
genes are there, what can be done about them to prevent the same thing from
happening now? I realize this may be a bit more than you can get in one
column, but do the best you can.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: It would be so easy if all diseases were produced by a single,
identifiable factor, a single cause that could be found, treated and wiped
out, taking the illness along with it. But few diseases have but a single
cause, and most have so many factors to consider that it is extremely
difficult to construct a treatment that does the job. But many illnesses have
a basic component of an inherited factor that can only be discovered when the
family history is considered. And family histories are difficult to
construct, for often all the information is not available, lost or forgotten,
and seldom written down in a useful fashion.
Some diseases are recognized as being primarily the result of a gene, a
direct consequence of an inherited factor. Examples include: thalassemia
anemia most common in individuals of Greek or Italian descent, sickle-cell
anemia in those of African heritage, and Tay-Sachs disease, a neurological
disorder affecting those of eastern or central European Jewish origins. The
best time to start finding out about illnesses that are common to your family
tree is right now. Begin by questioning the senior members of your family, to
find out all you can. Write down the names of your relatives, all of them,
aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as parents, grandparents, great grandparents,
as far back as you can. Try to establish what diseases (or ailments, even
just symptoms) they suffered during their life times, their ages at death and
the cause of death (if deceased). When you have extracted all you can from
the living historians, start searching the records. A review of local
hospital records, birth records, and death certificates can be most fruitful
in discovering information of value. While it is true that the information
from more distant relatives may have little direct relationship to a problem
in your immediate family, collecting all the available data can begin to
provide patterns of health problems which can yield clues to current
conditions. A consultation with a geneticist or physician who specializes in
genetics can help you construct a family tree that can group the facts into a
meaningful structure.
Knowing these patterns of disease can help you prevent the progression of
some ailments by alerting you to the early symptoms that may signify that a
disease process has begun. Catching an illness at an early stage leads to
early treatment, the most successful strategy, particularly in treating
cancers.
While genetic factors can not be changed for most diseases, at least not
just yet, changing the other risk factors can most certainly reduce your
chances of becoming a victim. Even though a family history of heart disease
is recognized, an individual who watches weight, diets, is a non-smoker, and
exercises, can reduce the probability of a heart attack to below that of
others who do not have the genetic factor, but have ignored all the other
controllable risk factors. Knowledge can be a powerful tool, and constructing
a family medical tree is worth the effort.
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.