Knowing your family heart history helps you and your care team catch risks early and take steps to prevent problems.
What Counts as Family History?
- First-degree relatives: Parents, brothers, and sisters
- Premature heart disease: Heart attack, stents, or bypass in a parent or sibling in their 50s or younger
- Not just coronary arteries—ask about carotid disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
Family history is a “non-modifiable” risk factor—we cannot change our genes, so it is important to focus on everything we can change.
Questions to Ask Your Family
- Diagnosis: Was it a heart attack, stroke, carotid disease, or AAA?
- Age and details: How old were they when this happened? What symptoms did they have?
- Procedures: Stents? Bypass surgery? What testing was done (stress test, cath, ultrasound)?
- Cause of death (if applicable): Get the most specific information you can from your family.
If records are hard to find (for example, if you are adopted), ask relatives, check old paperwork, or consider reputable family history tools. Share what you learn with your provider.
What to Do if Heart Disease Runs in Your Family
- Don’t smoke or vape; get help to quit.
- Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar.
- Use medicines as prescribed and keep follow-ups.
- Move more: brisk activity ~30 minutes, 5 days/week.
- Eat for your heart: fruits/veggies, whole grains; limit fried/high-fat meats, added sugar, and alcohol.
- Maintain healthy weight and good sleep.
Screening and Checkups
Talk with your provider about:
- Basic tests for most adults: Blood pressure, fasting lipids (cholesterol), and blood sugar
- Heart tests when advised: EKG, stress testing, or ultrasound of the carotid arteries or abdomen (for AAA) based on your risk and age
- Cholesterol details: With a strong family history, your provider may order a more detailed lipid panel
Medicines and Prevention
- Blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes medicines reduce risk when taken as directed.
- Aspirin for prevention is age and risk-specific. Do not start on your own. Ask your provider whether aspirin makes sense for you.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
- Jot down who in your family had cardiac issues and at what age.
- Bring your latest blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar numbers, plus an updated medication list.
- Note any chest pressure, shortness of breath, jaw/arm discomfort, or lower exercise tolerance.
When to Seek Care Now
- Call 911 for sudden chest pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, or a strong feeling that “something is wrong.” EMS can start care on the way.
Building a clear picture of your family history helps your care team tailor screening and prevention to you. Small, steady changes—plus the right tests at the right time—can lower your risk.