It’s easy to downplay the importance of your medical history, especially in the diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. However, your and your family’s medical history is an important part of understanding your health and your likelihood of developing degenerative disc disease.
What is Medical History?
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), medical history can be defined as “a record of health information about a person and his or her close relatives.” The NIH also goes on to explain that a medical record is considered complete if it “includes information from three generations of relatives, including children, brothers and sisters, parents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, grandparents, and cousins.” This is very extensive and if you don’t already have this kind of medical information for this much of your family, it may seem unreasonable to pry into the histories of your relatives.3
However, the importance of providing your doctor with as much information about your health history and your biological family’s health history cannot be overstated. Your personal history is what informs your doctor of which health problems you’ve had in your life if any. Knowing this information can help your doctor better understand any current health issues you are currently experiencing, and can also allow the treatment your doctor recommends to be more effective. It may also stop your doctor from recommending certain treatments or medications that may be harmful to you according to your medical history.3
Without knowing your medical history, your doctor will not have the full picture of your health, and it can hinder their ability to give you the best care.
The Importance of Family History
Your medical history allows your doctor to get a full picture of your health and any issues you have had in the past, and providing your doctor with your family’s health history adds to that picture. Knowing about your family’s health will give your doctor insight into what may be going on with your own health or any diseases that you may be at a higher risk for.2
Research has shown that many illnesses are hereditary, which makes letting your doctor know if they run in your family imperative. For example, the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for mammogram screenings recommend that women without a family history of breast cancer begin getting yearly screenings between 40-44 years old. However, if a woman’s doctor is aware of a history of breast cancer in her family, her doctor will most likely recommend that screenings begin earlier or recommend MRI as well as mammograms.1
Further, families not only have genes in common but their environments and lifestyles as well. These factors play a large role in one’s health, which is another reason why providing your doctor with your family’s history is important.2
When telling your doctor about your family’s history, you should make an effort to include as many blood relatives as possible. If you aren’t familiar with your family’s medical history for some reason such as adoption, you may still be able to gain access to at least your biological parents’ medical records, depending on the laws of the state you live in.2
Medical History & Degenerative Disc Disease
Medical history is clearly an important part of treating one’s overall health, but it also has an important role in determining your risk of developing degenerative disc disease. Studies have shown that degenerative disc disease is in fact hereditary, making your family’s medical history important in understanding your risk of degenerative disc disease. However, your doctor will need to know about any surgeries, injuries, and overall health as well in order to determine whether back or neck pain that you’re experiencing is linked to degenerative disc disease.
Past injuries can reveal trauma that led to discs becoming torn or damaged in a way that began the degeneration of your spinal discs. It will also be important to let your doctor know about past surgeries that may have had an impact on your spine. If you smoke, that also increases your risk of developing degenerative disc disease, and your doctor should be aware of it.
Having a knowledge of your family’s medical history as well as your own will paint a more detailed picture of your health for not only your doctor but yourself as well. This gives you power in making healthier choices for your life and allows you and your doctor to make more informed decisions about your health.
- Cancer Screening Guidelines: Detecting Cancer Early. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/find-cancer-early/cancer-screening-guidelines/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer.html
- Khatri, M. (2018, September 18). Your Medical History: What It Includes & Why It’s Important. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-my-medical-history#1
- Why is it important to know my family medical history? – Genetics Home Reference – NIH. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/inheritance/familyhistory
