Once the pedigree is assembled, you must analyze it. One difference in analyzing a health history pedigree from a genealogical pedigree is that only blood relatives are significant in disease patterns. For example, diseases that affect an uncle by marriage would not be significant to you. Look at illnesses that affect those with whom you share the most genes: siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, close cousins, and grandparents and their siblings. If you find two close relatives with similar cancers (especially of the colon, ovary, or breast), or with diabetes or heart disease, then this should alert you to a possible genetic or familial connection. An early onset of certain diseases, such as a cancer or heart attack before the age of 50, could also signal a possible genetic link.

We all know that certain diseases tend to "run in families." Today, we also know that not only are such uncommon diseases as cystic fibrosis and hemophilia hereditary, but that more common diseases such as diabetes, many cancers, and heart disease may also have a genetic component. The truth is that almost every disease you can think is influenced by the genes. Currently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its Human Genome Project, is mapping the 100,000 genes in the human cell. We now know, for instance, that a woman with a certain damaged gene, BRCA1, has a 90% chance of getting breast cancer during her lifetime. If a search through your family tree shows a high incidence of breast cancer, then this gene may be lurking in your pedigree.

• The Family Health and Heredity Committee
• How Do I Start?
• What Can I Learn?
• Where Can I Learn More?
• Sample Pedigree Chart
• Committees