Health Tip: Your Family Has a Medical History

(HealthDay News) -- Your doctor probably has asked you questions about your family history, since it may have a significant impact on your well-being.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this guidance about how family history may affect your health:

• A disease that occurs in more than one close relative can increase your risk of that disease.
• If the disease has affected family members at an earlier-than-typical age, this may also increase your risk.
• Diseases that occur together within the family can also indicate greater risk -- for example, diabetes and heart disease.
• Diseases within the family that don't usually affect a gender may increase your risk. An example is breast cancer among males in your family.