| Me | Sibling 1 | Sibling 2 | |
| Name | J. K | S. N | F. Y |
| Age | 25 | 28 | 17 |
| Racial Background | Asian | Asian | Asian |
| Health condition | No health condition | Asthmatic | No health condition |
| Deceased | No | No | No |
Paternal side
| Father | Uncle1 | Uncle 2 | Aunt 1 | Grand Father | Grand mother | |
| Name | H. M | M. E | D. B | S. W | F. G | U. J |
| Age | 55 | 67 | 40 | 45 | 83 | 80 |
| Race | Asian | Asian | Asian | Asian | Asian | Asian |
| Health condition | No health condition | Asthmatic | No health condition | No health condition | Asthmatic | No health condition |
| Deceased | No | No | Yes (Committed Suicide) | No | No | No |
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Maternal side
| Mother | Aunty 1 | Aunty 2 | Uncle 1 | Grand Father | Grand Mother | |
| Name | S. A | H. R | Z. O | G. C | T. L | F. K |
| Age | 51 | 48 | 37 | 26 | 77 | 76 |
| Race | Asian | Asian | Asian | Asian | Asian | European-Asian |
| Health condition | No health condition | No health condition | No health condition | No health condition | No health condition | Cancer |
| Decease | No | No | No | No | Yes (involved in a road accident) | Yes (Died of blood cancer) |
Part B: Analysis
There are two health conditions that I am apparently predisposed to. The first health condition is asthma which has a frequency of 2 in the 3 generation family pedigree. My paternal grandfather has it and my older brother too. According to the aetiology of asthma, the health condition has a strong genetic component. Scientists believe that environmental factors are also equally important in determining the prevalence of the disease ( Meng & Rosenwasser, 2010). When environmental risk factors are high such as exposure to allergens and genetic presence of the health condition in a person, it is highly likely that the person will develop the health condition. (Meng & Rosenwasser, 2010)
Therefore the only way to minimise the risks of contracting the disease is to minimise environmental risks by eliminating factors that could trigger asthmatic attacks such as keeping warm, avoiding dust and strong smells.
The other health condition that I am predisposed to is cancer. Only one member of our family, the maternal grandmother was diagnosed with it. Like asthma, cancer is a genetic disease. However, there are certain factors that could lead one to acquire the disease known as carcinogenic substances. The best way to minimise the risk of contracting the genetic cancer is to avoid radiations, smoking certain pesticides etc. and living an active life.
Part C: Reflection
Family pedigrees are used in the clinical practice to establish the medical history of a family and hence identify the genetic diseases that may be present in the family. This makes the diagnosis and treatment of diseases more efficient and effective. The benefits of disclosing the medical history of a family accrue both to the patient and the health care provider in that diagnosis will be fast. However there is risk of loss of confidentiality on family matters. Healthcare providers could use the information obtained in a subjective and biased manner.
The ethical consideration of collecting family history pertains to confidentiality of such information and the intended use of the collected information. Information collected should be used solely to enhance better healthcare for the patient. The variables related to my willingness to change my health behaviour based on the family history below include the environmental factors ad availability of facilities that combat these conditions
References
Meng, J., & Rosenwasser, L. (2010). Unravelling the Genetic Basis of Asthma and Allergic Diseases. Allergy, Asthma And Immunology Research , 2 (4), 215. doi: 10.4168/aair.2010.2.4.215
Witt, D. E., Choudhury, R., Cusack, G., Greene, N. Lange-Otsuka, P., Minchew, L., Vargo, D. (2012). Application of a Family Pedigree for Nursing Practice: Lesson Plan and Grading Rubric. Available at Genome.gov website http://www.genome.gov/17517037#al-2
National Human Genome Research Institute Summer workshop in Genomics short course website http://www.genome.gov/10000217
