The family medical history

In this era of genomic medicine it is easy to be dazzled by an array of diagnostic tools to aid in clinical diagnosis and presymptomatic risk assessment, yet a simple family medical history remains the single most cost-effective "genetic test." A family medical history can be compared with a genetic "biopsy." Learning the skills of obtaining and interpreting a family history is just as central for primary care clinicians as a basic proficiency in interpreting pathology or radiograph reports. In this article the essentials of recording a medical family history and basic inheritance patterns are reviewed. Suggestions for dealing with sensitive family information are also discussed.