LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT-L Archives
Archiver > LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT > 2004-12 > 1102460760
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Subject: Re: [LDS-WC-L] RE: question received today
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2004 18:06:00 EST
While Canada & other countries may allow people to examine hospital records
for genealogy information, here in the states we have very strict privacy
laws that prohibit that. Even though I encourage my people to do a medical
family history along with their regular "names, dates & places" material, that
has to come from what can be accessed through family members, or might be on
death certificates. Hospitals and nursing homes won't release the
information--or perhaps I should say they're not supposed to.
It's important regarding the medical pedigree to recognize that over 5000
medical conditions have been identified that run in families. Some of them
have had the gene isolated that causes them. Some of those conditions can kill
if not discovered in time.
What to look for? One or two people in the family having a condition
doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem, especially if, like with cancers, it
is different types. But my grandmother had high blood pressure, as did my
aunt, my great aunt, and my great grandmother & gr gr grandmother all died of
strokes, which are usually high blood pressure related. (My mother didn't live
long enough for it to show up, dying in her twenties of strep throat &
pneumonia, also having asthma which is another thing that has run in our family,
but what I, fortunately don't have.) If you are seeing quite a few people
with the same thing in blood related family members, it is worth it to discuss
with the doctor the next time you see him. Take a list with and show him how
many blood relatives have the particular problem, so (s)he can see you're not
making a mountain out of a molehill. There may be things that can be
changed in lifestyle patterns that will lower risk, and if not, at least monitor
more frequently.
(I had a friend who died of breast cancer: her sister, her aunts & mother, a
grandmother and several cousins have all had it--most of them died of the
cancer and some at a rather young age (40s), rather than being those who were
cured. I would strongly recommend her daughter receive earlier exams, and
regular exams to try to catch it earlier.)
Karen
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