Announcement: National Family History Day - November 24, 2016.

[No authors listed]

Abstract

In 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General declared that Thanksgiving would be National Family History Day, a day designed to encourage American families to learn about and create a written record of their family health history. Family history can identify those persons with a higher-than-average risk for many common diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Having at least one first-degree relative with a disease can increase a person's risk twofold or more (1). Family history is also a determinant of less common diseases like sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis (1). Persons who might be at increased risk because of family history might benefit from screening or other interventions to prevent disease or detect it earlier.