Family Health Assessment Essay

Many diseases like cancer, heart problems, diabetes, hypertention, and mental problems are genetically transferred from generation to generation. Asking about family health history during the physical health assessment is crucial. Knowing the patient family health history gives a better insight on what disease the patient might be at greater risk for. It is like a map that give you clues on what to look for in the patient (NCBI). According to Kardia et al., 2003, “A person inherits a complete set of genes from each parent, as well as a vast array of cultural and socioeconomic experiences from his/her family. Family history is thought to be a good predictor of an individual’s disease risk because family members most closely represent the unique genomic and environmental interactions that an individual experiences” (as cited in NCBI). Most people are predisposed to certain disease just because it is …show more content…
A diagnosis of hypertension requires many incidence of high blood pressure over a period of time. When the blood pressure is high, the arteries are working harder to push blood throuhout the body causing the heart to work extra. If high blood pressure is not treated accordingly it might lead to many other complications like cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke (Story, 2015, p.105).
Secondly, atherosclerosis is another risk identify in this family history. Atherosclerosis is defined as “thickening and hardening of the arterial wall. Lesions (or plaques) composed of lipids develop on the vessel wall and calcify over time” (Story, p.94). These plaques formation hinder the circulation and lead to an increase effort of the heart to pump blood to different part of the body. Atherosclerosis not only cause peripheral vascular disease but it can also lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, and stroke (Story, 2015, p.