The Right Questions Leads to the Right Answer

It is customary that I ask patients about their family history. I have noticed that when I ask about having a history of heart disease or diabetes, the answer is usually “no”. The more appropriate question may be whether or not any relatives have the above mentioned diseases. To some folk, relatives and family members are not the same thing. To some, the family consists of those who live in the house with them. Relatives, on the other hand, include mother, father, brother, sister, aunts and uncles. If you ask the right question you will get the right answers. Please remember that family or relative history is very important and should be well known by you and your physician.
I am Dr. Thaddeus J Bell--- Closing the Gap in Health Care.