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Understanding family history is important to assessing heart disease risk
02.22.2012
When assessing a patient's risk of developing heart disease, doctors should pay particular attention to the individual's family history. New research suggests that asking whether cardiovascular problems run in a patient's family may significantly improve the diagnosis of risk factors.The University of Nottingham researchers who conducted the study said that multiple investigations have come to similar conclusions regarding the importance of family history in diagnosing heart disease risk. However, family history assays are still not a universally accepted part of measuring patients' chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
For the present study, the researchers administered physical examinations to nearly 800 participants. All individuals received screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking status, age and sex. Half the participants were also asked about their family history.
The results showed that doctors were able to more accurately predict a patient's chances of developing heart disease if they had access to the individual's family history. Those whose immediate family members experienced cardiovascular disease were much more likely to develop the condition themselves.
The researchers said their findings indicate that family history should be considered an important part of health risk screenings. It is a simple, low-cost and effective way to accurately assess a patient's chances of developing a potentially serious cardiovascular problem.
"Recently there has been great interest in performing genetic tests to identify individuals at high risk of heart disease, but our study has found that simply taking a detailed family history may be as effective, if not more, to identify these individuals," said Nadeem Qureshi, who led the investigation.
Understanding a patient's risk of developing heart disease in the future may enable doctors to recommend lifestyle changes that help the person reduce their chances of experiencing cardiovascular problems.
Categories: Health and Wellness
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