November - 5 - 2009
A systematic review of 137 publications shows that there is currently insufficient evidence to support collecting family history as a way to promote preventive interventions and chronic disease management. The review included controlled and uncontrolled intervention studies, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, and studies that validated reported family history against relatives' true disease status. Twenty-three of the studies investigated the accuracy of reporting family history, with participants reporting having diabetes, cancer, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease. In addition, two longitudinal studied cohorts with varying prevalences of diseases including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. While family history questions occasionally reveal uncommon disease patterns as well as an understanding of the patient's experiences with disease in the family, the authors note that "many questions remain regarding whether information gained from family history assessment improves risk prediction and chronic disease risk management, the best way to collect such information, and the positive and negative effects such collection has on patient outcomes."