Family history

Family history

A family history is a record of health conditions affecting your family members.

Sometimes, conditions can run in families. This means if you’re related by blood to someone with a condition, you might be at more risk of developing it too. If you had a relative who had a condition, but they have sadly died, this will also be recorded as part of your family history.

Although you share the same genes, you might not inherit the gene variant that causes the condition. But sharing a similar lifestyle and environment as your family can increase your risk of developing the same condition.

Difference between a family history and an inherited condition

Inherited conditions are caused by a variant (mutation or change) in one or more of your genes. We get our genes from our parents.

The way we look, how our bodies work and the things that make us all unique are decided by our genes. Genes can pass on the risk of developing some conditions from one or both parents to their child.

The most common inherited heart conditions are:

• cardiomyopathies (or heart muscle diseases)
• channelopathies (which can cause abnormal heart rhythms)
• familial hypercholesterolaemia (where members of a family have high cholesterol levels). 

Find out your family history

You have a family history of a condition if one or more of your family members you are related to by blood have it. This could be your:

• mum or dad
• brother or sister
• children
• grandparents
• aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews or cousins.

You have a strong family history of a condition if:

• your father or brother was under the age of 55 when they were diagnosed or
• your mother or sister was under the age of 65 when they were diagnosed.

Family history and increased risk

If a family member you’re related to by blood has a health condition, it might be passed on to you and other family members through your shared genes.

As well as sharing genes, families often share similar traits and habits that can increase their risk of developing the same condition like:

• their environment like living in an area with a high level of air pollution 
• their lifestyle like smoking, being physically inactive or being stressed 
• their diet like having excess weight or having more salt, sugar, fat and alcohol. 

Having a healthy weight, being physically active and eating a balanced diet can help reduce your risk of developing the same heart and circulatory condition as your family.

Reduce your risk of heart disease

You can reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, by: 

• not smoking
• being physically active
• having a healthy weight
• eating a healthy balanced diet
• managing high blood pressure
• managing high cholesterol
• managing diabetes.

Living a healthy lifestyle is important for reducing risk of heart disease even if you do not have heart disease in the family or do not know your family history.

Tell your doctor if a family member you’re related to by blood has had a heart attack or a stroke, even if you feel healthy. They can check your blood pressure and your blood cholesterol level. If they’re too high, it may increase your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke too. 

If you are 40 to 74 and you live in England, you will be invited for a free NHS Health Check where the doctor will check your risk of developing heart and circulatory disease. The rest of the UK may also have similar schemes. Ask your GP or pharmacist for more information.

Your doctor can help you reduce your risk of developing the same condition as your family member. They might suggest lifestyle changes or taking medicines if it’s needed.

More information and support

Heart Helpline & other support:

• Contact our Heart Helpline to speak to one of our cardiac nurses.
• Speak to others in a similar situation by joining a support group or our online HealthUnlocked community.
• Sign up to our Heart Matters magazine and newsletter for free health and lifestyle information.

Want to know more about our research?

We fund vital research to understand the causes and risk factors that lead to heart and circulatory diseases. Our scientists are researching ways to control the increased risk caused by having a family history of a condition.

• Read about our research