Family stories
|
|
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.
When the whole clan is over for a summer party, what do people talk about? Not uncommonly, themselves and each other. So let's see if we can put some of this information share to good use, by getting together a family health history. A record of people's health conditions, and where they are in the family tree, can give doctors clues about possible inherited health problems.
Dr. Griffin Rodgers is director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, so he knows how diabetes and some kidney diseases could run in families:
``Most people with type 2 diabetes have a family member with the disease. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease, blindness, loss of limb, kidney failure, and early death.'' (13 seconds)
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Nicholas Garlow.